The Girl Made of Marble
by sodnam
Summary: Medieval AU. Ruby scours through the forest in search of hunting prey, when she stumbles upon a clearing with a strange statue.
1. Tulip Orchard

**Hello again!**

 **This is my second story, so I'm still experimenting with storytelling. This one's prompt was "Can I write an AU?". I'll let you be the judge.**

 **Quick shout out to The White Rose of Vermillion, for the idea that medieval Ruby would be an archer/huntress. Also go read that fic, it's _fantastic_.**

 **But anyway, here goes the first chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **1\. Tulip Orchard**

The air was quiet, as it always was. Light was becoming scarcer as the girl nimbly made her way deeper into the forest, peering only from between the occasional openings amongst the thick branches that covered the view above. She had left her home behind, venturing increasingly away from the crop fields that sat at the edge of the woods, forced by the strange lack of game in the outer region. It was much further than she'd ever been, but Ruby did not let the realization influence her steady progress, driven by the need to hunt something before nightfall. She couldn't let her sister be responsible for all the income in the household, now could she? Especially considering how that very same income was gained, Yang was adept of business practices that the she wasn't sure were completely honest and clean.

Shaking those thought from her mind, the huntress maintained the pace, trying to keep her footsteps silent all the while sharpening her senses for traces of a possible prey. The time passing by made the lack of fauna increasingly strange, particularly in the depths so isolated from any nearby human presence. There were no beaten paths amongst the bushes, nor any form of landmarks, understandably so since the populace were rather superstitious of the woods, and the dangers that lurked within them. Yet not a hint of a buck could be found, neither a cry of a bird within earshot. Unless she had stumbled upon the territory of some enormous and intimidating beast, one who could drive away every other form of life around, it was _too_ quiet.

She suddenly stopped walking, upon reaching a clearing in front of her. The wide open space was an unexpected sight, especially due to being so clearly unnatural. There were no trees in a wide radius that drew a perfect circle on the floor, marking a border where the forest started once again. Inside, the ground was covered by short grass, the green carpet sparkled by a soft orange glow of tulips, distributed evenly throughout the space. One could even say they outlined some form of shape, a pathway marked towards the center by their absence. It was a carefully set stage, and probably the product of countless hours of dedication, but it created a mesmerizing view, and Ruby was taken aback, letting her silver eyes feast upon the splendor that surrounded her.

Moving forward, she noticed a statue sitting in the middle of this landscape, a small podium in which stood a stony figure. As she approached slowly, the silhouette became clearer, revealing a young woman immortalized in clear and smooth marble. She wore a long sleeved shirt underneath a short dress which ended mid-thigh, her legs were covered by stockings all the way to the brim of the dress, ending with a pair of modest shoes. The statue had a round and child-like face, which coupled with her height hinted she couldn't be much older than the huntress herself. A tilted bow topped her head, above the short hair that curled its edges at chin-length.

The archer unconsciously held her breath at the inert girl before her, a silent beauty draining all the air from her chest. She stood like this for a moment, unable to draw her eyes away from the hypnotizing life-like sculpture. There was something enthralling about the stone, white and glimmering under the spots of light from above. It almost looked vigilant, that within a moment's notice the closed eyes would open wide and the graceful pose would be replaced by sudden movement.

Minutes went by before the dark-red haired girl was awakened from her daze, at last detecting the ever so slight tonal shift in the lighting. Dusk was approaching, and with it the necessity to return home, so she reluctantly turned her back towards the garden, and headed on her way. But not before she made a mental promise to return, to not let this peaceful moment fade into memory.

* * *

During the next days, Ruby found herself following her promise more closely than was her initial intention. Whenever the hunt was going well, and she had gathered a reasonable prize to bring to the dinner table, she would spare the remaining time to come back to that garden.

The hunting was certainly improving, after she established that any prey would avoid the clearing even more solemnly than they did the outlying areas where humans could normally be seen. It made her job much easier, knowing where to find game, and where to bait them for a successful trap, as the tulip orchard acted as an invisible barrier the animals refused to cross, creating an easy weakness for her to exploit.

And so, day after day, the archer took recess within the silent embrace of the grove, which quickly became her preferred spot to rest and enjoy the packed meal her sister had sent her for the day.

It was so, that, one afternoon, whilst quietly eating, the silver-eyed girl saw something previously gone unnoticed.

Putting a strawberry in her mouth, a costly commodity that she had no idea how Yang had come across – not that she was going to complain, the rare fruit was easily among her favorite treats – the bliss of the taste forced her eyes shut, trying to conserve the sensation for as long as possible. Her absentminded state allowed a piece of her snack to roll away from the leather pouch she held on her lap. Faced with the prospect of losing such a delicious delicacy, Ruby snapped back awake and crawled towards the mischievous berry, who had made its way behind the statue.

And there it was, a large gaping hole in the ground flanked by small pebbles, with short pieces of lumber sticking out from its edges, hinting at a ladder descending to the bottom. It was a peculiar contraption, mostly due to the fact that the girl hadn't realized its presence before. Not that she'd thought to inspect the back of the sculpture, infatuated by simply the sight of the front of it. _Yang would've checked her rear_ , she thought, blushing slightly. Her older sister always had a way of being the most inappropriate person in the room, something that never ceased to be embarrassing.

Shaking her head, she dispelled the idea and peered inside the newly-found opening. There was a flickering light down under, foreshadowing the presence of at least a single torch. Figuring it was a man-made structure, the huntress determinedly grabbed onto the ladder and plunged forth into the cave.

The first thing that struck her upon arrival was the cold wind that ran through the wide open space. Her simple clothing, a dark-red corset over a grey shirt, with black pants and black sturdy boots, was suited for the amenable weather outside, but not even the red-hooded cape covering most of her body could shield her from the freezing atmosphere of her new surroundings. She shivered, feeling the heat dissipate from her skull, lacking protection from her short dark brown hair, with equally dark red tips. To this day Ruby still did not know if that color was natural, or if Yang kept dyeing her hair while she slept, as a sort of elaborate prank. It was _exactly_ the type of thing her older sister would do

Locating a brazier at the center of the chamber, the huntress hurried towards it, trying to suckle all the warmth she possibly could. Reinvigorated, she allowed herself to drift her gaze over this new place she was in, registering all that inhabited it. It appeared to be a library, massive shelves towering towards the ceiling, covering most of the walls. Inside, neatly arranged books of all colors imaginable could be seen, and there had to be hundreds of them. On the further side of the room stood a long table with a mesh of sheets of paper, out-of-place books and complex metallic pieces on top, accompanied by one single wooden chair. Behind the table was a glass-doored cabinet, housing many more strange mechanical concoctions and some colorful stones as well.

The huntress hesitantly walked over to the desk, registering the thick layer of dust that covered it and all things within range. Whoever the owner was, they hadn't been there for a long time. The texts were in a language the girl did not know, far different from the vernacular she was still struggling to learn. The metal objects spoke much closer to the girl's heart, cogs and gears had always fascinated her, yet they still remained out of the grasp of her understanding. They were complex, composed of many different little parts, but were carefully decorated, engraved with shapes and runes all over the surface, some even built around small spheres of colored crystal.

There was, nevertheless, one object in the mess that she recognized, a small cylindrical locket with a shard of amber encrusted, held in the middle of a golden chain. It was a simple piece of jewelry, clashing with the scholar nature of the surrounding environment, although too flashy for Ruby's taste. Still, she picked it up, wrapping the chain around her wrist, with the intention of gifting her sister with it. It wasn't _really_ stealing if it had been abandoned, right? The owner would certainly not notice one little trinket missing, and, besides, he was most likely gone for good, if the signs of prolonged absence were trustworthy. There were plenty of dangerous beasts lurking in the shadows, and the war brewing beyond the borders of their village certainly did not create many opportunities for a prosperous life. Missing most certainly meant dead.

The dark-red haired girl lost herself within, letting the hours fly by while she examined every inch of the cavern, engrossed by the sense of discovery warranted by this new magical place. None of it quite made sense to her, but the fascination for these peculiar objects and tools was stronger than mere logic. When she finally felt satisfied, tiredness along with the cold starting to creep into her mind, night had already long fallen.

The lighting inside prevented her from perceiving the passage of time, so it was only when the silver-eyed girl grabbed the bottom of the ladder that she realized how late it had become. She climbed intently to the top, wanting to return home quickly, to comfort her probably worried-sick sister.

When on solid ground once more, she quickly located her bearings, the hunting kit composed of a solid wooden bow, an almost empty quiver and a sharp single-edged hunting knife, her leather pouch with provisions, and the prize of that day's hunt: two wild geese skillfully tied by the feet. When the archer motioned towards the items, the huntress' sense she had developed over the years made her stop, with a gut-wrenching sensation of distress. Ruby scanned the area, trying to figure out what was out-of-place about the garden. Everything seemed normal, the orange flowers, the empty podium, the wide circle with no- _Wait…_

She barely had time to register her findings when a glimpse of white on the corner of her eye made her swiftly dodge to the side, just in time to see a stone fist hit the air where she had previously been.

The girl made of marble wasn't in her rightful place on top of the podium. It was right in front of Ruby, attacking her.

* * *

 **IT'S ALIIIIIVE!**

 **Not a lot happened this time around, just some basic set up. This fic will run longer than my previous one, so I had to.**

 **As always, please review with your impressions and thoughts, I could always use constructive criticism to improve.**


	2. A Lonely Girl

**Honestly I was a little afraid of posting this chapter, after how well received the first was. Took me quite a bit of rewriting until I was satisfied with it, I didn't want to disappoint anyone. Believable dialogue is hard to make.**

 **This was also the first time I ever wrote a fight scene. It was... _strange_.**

 **But you're not here to listen to my babbling. Second chapter, go.**

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 **2\. A Lonely Girl**

Ruby vaulted over the podium, trying to evade the flurry of attacks coming her way. The sculpture jumped in pursuit, leaning its weight forward into a punch, the clear marble grazing skin, as the hit just barely missed the huntress' face. Countering the attacks was pointless, her measly hands could never damage stone, so she turned tail and ran further away from the relentless opponent, reaching the trees before stopping to look back. The creature was still coming after her, with a cold and soulless look in her eyes.

The archer quickly considered her limited options. Fighting was out of question, so that left only sprinting away to the village, hoping the golem would not follow. Fleeing was, nevertheless, not the most desirable solution, forcing her possessions to be left behind. That hunting kit was her only means of sustenance, plus it had costs them a small fortune, one that she had worked for years to repay with meat and pelts.

She was torn from her thoughts as the statue reached the edge of the clearing. It stood a few feet from her, but made no motion to attack. Ruby had no idea what the cause for such a change was, but she took the opportunity to try and circle her adversary.

As soon as the dark-red haired girl moved to the side, the white figure turned as well, trying to block her passage. Luckily, speed was the huntress' strength, hardened by many seasons of stalking prey, so she managed to slip back inside the garden, ducking when another assault telegraphed towards her head. Her physical form and advanced acrobatic skills, necessary to her profession, gave her the edge in evasiveness, but without proper tools her attack power was null.

She crouched at an incoming strike, then cartwheeled to the center, hoping to grab something from the supply pile. Springing back to her feet, she tensed the muscles on her leg, swiftly leaping again to avoid a low kick from the marble monster. Registering the items she had successfully picked up, the internalized training kicked in, as two fingers trailed a blunt-head arrow against the bowstring, pulling it back as hard as possible, before releasing it with almost no need to aim. Another followed instantly, two blurred projectiles flying towards the enemy. It was a desperate measure, and the archer backstepped repeatedly without waiting for the reaction.

The first bolt hit the statue's chest, the force interrupting her advance, right as the second struck her square in the forehead, causing a noticeable flinch. The small victory was clouded in bitterness as the stone girl recovered and pressed onward once more. Ruby strapped the quiver on her back, useless now that she had used her only blunt ammunition. They weren't usually very useful against small game, so the rest of her ammo was sharp, made for perforation, and of no use against hard surfaces.

Out of ideas, the red-hooded huntress opted for one last frantic attempt to tip the scales in her favor, rolling towards the adversary. She pressed her whole strength onto the sculpture's leg, hoping it would be enough to break her balance and cause her to fall over. The girl made of marble didn't budge an inch, unimpressed by miserable amount of force dealt, but pressed her foot forward, propelling the human into the air.

Ruby struggled to regain balance, but her power was draining out fast, and she landed against one knee. Looking up, she saw the fast approaching monster, and a feeling of powerlessness rendered her nigh immobile, her mind crumbling with the certainty that she wouldn't be able to avoid the next blow. She shut her eyes and raised her fists above her face, bracing for the impact that would surely mean the end of the battle, and quite possibly her life.

But it didn't come. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the stony figure frozen in place, her fist still hanging mid-flight, donning a bewildered look on its face. The statue gradually lowered her hand, and opened and closed its mouth, struggling to speak, still as confused as before.

"F… Father?"

Ruby took some time to make sense of the words, the panic still clenching her throat tight. _Does she think I'm her father?_ It made no sense, but neither did a talking sculpture, so she humored it as best she could, shaking her head in denial.

"Where… where is father?" the girl's voice was soft and melodic, if a little too high-pitched.

The huntress shook her head once more. "I don't know. I don't know who your father is."

"But you have his amulet…" She glanced down, and Ruby realized she was talking about the golden trinket wrapped around the archer's wrist. That wasn't good, if the golem thought she had stolen it the bloodthirsty eyes could return any moment, and the short fight had only proven she had very little chance of survival, even further confirmed by the aching muscles she was now starting to feel.

"I found it downstairs… there was a big libr-"

"Then you must have seen him! That's his lab!" Ruby cringed as the statue grabbed her by the shoulders, nearly shouting into her face. It didn't appear to have violent intent, but the struggle they had just been through was still fresh in the dark haired human's mind.

"There wasn't anyone there. It looked like no one had been there for some time."

Her captor released her grip and stumbled a few steps back, before falling to a sitting position, dread stamped in her eyes, that she covered with her stony hands shortly after. It was an act of vulnerability, which was indescribably surprising coming from the massive stone creature.

"Then where is he? It's been so long…" The white-colored statue cried out, not expecting to be answered. She was nearly sobbing, although her body clearly wasn't outfitted for such.

And in a flash, there wasn't a mortal weapon ready to fire in front of Ruby, but a lonely girl in pain and needing help. Out of impulse, the silver-eyed huntress found herself kneeling on the ground, a hand over the cold rocky arm. She wasn't sure warmth would communicate through the marble, but it was an old reflex. If she saw someone in trouble, she had to help, regardless of prior quarrel. Yang would've called her naïve for behaving as such, but she preferred to consider herself good-natured, ready give second chances.

"Are you here all by yourself?" She asked kindly, not entirely certain on how to defuse the situation.

"I… yes. I keep guard to father's laboratory. He used to come see me at night, but a while ago he stopped…" The white-skinned girl lowered her head, the words that came out of her mouth sulking her deeper into sorrow.

"Your father… Who is he?"

"He's the one who made me!" A little light crept into her monochromatic eyes, hitting a brighter memory of the past. Ruby decided to press further, satisfied by the reaction as well as curious about these new pieces of information.

"Made? What do you mean?"

"You see, I'm not a real girl… Well, I guess that was pretty obvious, huh?" A sympathetic nod encouraged her to proceed. "Father couldn't have children naturally, so he decided to create one. He molded my body from marble, and then gave me a soul. I'm not absolutely sure how, he explained but I'm afraid I didn't exactly understand what he was saying." She giggled, remembrance comforting her grief.

"So, you're a girl inside a statue?" The redhead inquired with a subtle smirk, an idea starting to form in her head.

When the sculpture concurred, the huntress arched her back, leaning into the other girl, and planted a kiss on her lips. There was no response from the cold mouth, but it wasn't given time, as the gesture was over in a moment.

"Why did you do that?" The white eyes were wide, unable to contain her confusion.

Ruby blushed and drifted her gaze to the ground, struggling to mumble an answer. "It was stupid. I thought... in the stories my sister used to read to me, the curse would be lifted by the kiss of a fair maiden… I just… since you said were trapped in the stone, I…"

She was interrupted by the sound of a chuckle. She looked up, to see the golem bursting out into laughter, holding her sides to control herself. It was equally distressing and endearing to see, but the archer decided to pick the latter, feeling proud she was the cause for it, even if unintentionally.

"I'm not _trapped_." The regular tone returned after some time, laughter gradually fading out. "There is no curse to break, this is what I am. It's what I've always been."

"Oh, so you're not human…" Ruby paused for a second, then voiced the question that gnawing at her mind. "Wouldn't you want to be?"

"I... I never really considered it." She looked thoughtful, like she was weighing the options available. "I think I would rather be able to leave here. Since father's gone… I would like to see the outside world! He promised he would take me one day, to show me what lies beyond this forest…"

A glimmer of hope was noticeable in her voice, and the silence between them seemed to imply she was _asking_ Ruby to take her away.

"You can't leave?" Was the only answer she could muster, unsure of where the conversation was going. Second chance or not, it was still strange to be hearing the deepest dreams of a _thing_ that had just tried to kill her.

"No, I'm bound to that." The statue pointed to the podium she used to be on top of. "I can only move in the nearby area, and only at night. My purpose was to protect the lab, and nobody ever came to this parts, so Father thought the dark would be the only time we needed a guard. You know, because of the beasts."

The silver-eyed huntress nodded in agreement.

"So if you move the stone base, could you walk around its new location?" Sparks flew inside the archer's mind, a plan coming into place.

"I guess. I haven't tried it, but it makes sense."

Ruby cracked a wide grin. "Then I think I might be able to help you."

"REALLY?" The sculpture shouted in excitement, the joy overwhelming her at such a prospect.

"Sure! It's late, and I really should head home now. But tomorrow, I'll have a surprise for you." The dark-red haired girl winked, while she stood up and dusted off her legs. Then, before turning to leave, she stopped and extended her hand towards the marble figure. "I'm Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose."

The other smiled back at her, and shook her hand.

"My name is Penny."

* * *

 **I'm aiming for this rhythm of a new chapter every 3 days, more or less. The third is taking longer than planned, I didn't expect to get sick, but I'm confident it will be done in time.**

 **A thousand thanks to those who reviewed, favorited and followed. Keep at it.**


	3. A Surprise

**Wo-hoo chapter 3 is done! I was going to post it tomorrow, but sleep deprivation kinda throws all my sensibility out the window.**

 **This was fun to write, especially the geese part. Was it necessary? Hell no, but I enjoyed doing it.**

* * *

 **3\. A Surprise**

"What the hell is this?"

"Hum… It's a statue?"

"I can see that, Ruby! You don't come home yesterday, only show up barely at dawn, and you drag me all the way here to see a statue? You'd better have a good explanation, young miss."

Yang was not amused, and Ruby couldn't blame her. The younger sibling had almost forced her out of bed, hastily dressed in her usual attire, a brown pair of pants and boots, and an orange shirt under a brown vest, the bright yellow scarf hanging out of her neck from the long hike to the clearing, tangled in the disarray of her long golden locks.

"I was hoping you could… help me carry it to our house?" The red-hooded girl gave her sister a hopeful grin, trying her best to be persuasive.

The blonde dropped her mouth open, even more stunned than before.

"Just... Why?"

"It's a surprise!" The redhead opened her eyes wide and pouted slightly, a tried and true technique she knew Yang couldn't resist. It was a low strategy, but, in the end, results spoke for themselves.

"Oh don't give me the puppy eyes. Ugh fine. You don't play fair." The blonde feigned a frown, failing to look disappointed.

"Thanks!" Ruby gave the blonde a warm smile, grateful that no further questioning was taking place. Although, it was a little a little strange...

"Don't thank me, you totally owe me one for this. At least she's cute." And leaning backwards, she added. "And has a nice butt."

 _Ah, there it is_. The archer thought, as a mischievous grin overtook her sibling's face. She didn't bother to retort, hoping the conversation would die out. If Yang felt like teasing her younger sister, it was going to be a very long trip back.

"Which reminds me... You never told me you were into girls, Rubes."

"Yaaaaaang!"

* * *

The blonde was quite strong, especially given her age, yet it still took them most of the morning to return to their house. Penny was unsurprisingly heavy, the solid stone proving a challenge to carry. After many, _many_ stops, they'd finally made it back to the small hut they both shared, ragged breaths illustrating just how exhausting the task had been.

"So, where do you want me to put your girlfriend?" Ruby shot her older sister an accusing glare at the remark, trying to dissuade her from further inappropriate slander. Knowing the girl, it most certainly wouldn't work, but she was growing tired of the persistent embarrassment. Just as she had predicted, it had been a _long_ trip, in more than one way.

"Just drop her by the door." Her response, meant to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You sure? I could always bring her to your room, so you two can get more privacy."

This time, the younger sibling didn't say a word, but slid her hand along the red cape, letting her hunting belt appear in view. The knife, that the dark haired girl kept sharp through constant maintenance, glimmered under the light of the noon sun, carefully spelling the intended message. _I WILL stab you_.

Yang laughed nervously at the threatening look she got, not used to seeing her sweet little sister being so frightening. There were no more witty remarks, and Ruby smiled victoriously to herself as she reached for the door.

The house was modest, a wooden shack with a tall, angular roof covered by straw, meant to avoid large concentrations of snow during the winter. The construction was rather rough, but it served its purpose, and the two girls living by themselves didn't need, neither could they afford, any luxuries. As long as it didn't rain on the inside, which it hadn't for a while and hopefully wouldn't start again, it didn't really matter if it didn't look like a palace.

Although its exterior, the inside was surprisingly cozy. The entrance led directly into a wide compartment with various clumsy cabinets furnishing its walls. On the eastern wall there was a metallic wooden-powered stove with a mess of grimy pans on top of it, remnants from that day's rushed meal, as well as, most likely, Yang's on the prior day. The blonde wasn't particularly fond of cleaning, but she made up for it by being an incredible cook. The geese were still lying unattended atop the counter, and Ruby made a mental note to skin them and salt the meat later, after she had gotten proper rest.

To complement the kitchen's functional side, there was also a round table flanked by four chairs, a number that once was not too large. It was the place the sisters used to spend time with one another, and there was no form of decoration on it apart from a single red rose inside a metallic cup. It was somewhat cheesy, but the huntress liked it nonetheless, it gave the otherwise austere environment a distinct touch of _home_.

Beyond the doorway were the girl's own bedrooms, two distinct cubicles after they'd grown up and stopped sleeping by each other's side, with maybe the exception of nights where a thunderstorm roared outside. In those rare occasions, they would both instantly seek the comfort of the other, none of them admitting which one was genuinely scared. In all fairness, they had every right to be, as a wooden house offered no protection against the fiery rage of the elements, and they were just one stroke of misfortune from having all they owned turned to ashes.

The sculpture was left near the entryway, between a corner and a large cupboard, facing outwards. Ruby yawned, the excitement finally vanished, making way for the fatigue produced by the many hours she had of debt to her bed. Gesturing her sister to take care of the unwashed clutter, she decided towards a much needed rest. She could go a day without hunting, their finances weren't that tight, and she would probably just fall asleep on top of a tree.

The archer walked over to her room, a diminutive section composed of her cot, a dresser that housed all her clothing, and little more. The lack of empty space might have given it the appearance of a prison cell, but it was great at conserving the heat in the colder seasons. Besides, she had all the breathing room she needed just outside, in the wide open fields.

Slipping under the covers and on top of the straw mattress, the warmth carried her mind away and she fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

Ruby was awoken from her slumber by a stinging pain in her midriff, hunger taking over now that the lack of rest wasn't dulling her senses. In the midst of the confusion caused by Penny, eating hadn't been a priority, and she was now facing the consequences.

The half-conscious huntress headed to the common area, where her sister sat, just as dazed. She grabbed a stray piece of bread that was starting to go hard, and noticed though the small opening in the wall that the sun was almost setting. Absentmindedly chewing on it, she made her way towards the dead birds on the counter, and started to prepare them.

The skin and the feathers weren't of any use, so they were carefully ripped out and rerouted to a nearby bucket. Next, she slashed along the sternum, creating a direct opening to the internal organs. The intestines and other undesirables took the same path of the upper layer, while the edible parts were separated for later confection. Ruby scowled at the liver, a piece she particularly dreaded, but didn't dare to throw it away and upset Yang. Finally, she chopped the remaining meat in smaller fragments, covering them in salt after being properly washed, and pilled them inside a wooden box, conserving it for later consumption.

Since the blonde was still dozing off, Ruby decided to start cooking dinner by herself, a small gesture of apology for the trouble she had put her through. She filled a pan with water, and set it on top of the stove to boil, throwing in a couple of wild herbs she had gathered during one of her outings. She was about to proceed, when a panicked scream froze her blood.

Throwing her head back, she saw her sister lying on the floor, a look of pure dread on her lilac eyes, evidently shivering from shock. In front of her was the stone statue that had not only started moving, but was readying an attack, a fist rolled back menacingly.

The archer dropped everything she was doing, jumping between the two girls and stretching her arms wide, in a position of surrender.

"PENNY NO!" The golem stopped, and looked perplexedly at the new figure in front of her. "It's me, Ruby. You're safe here."

"Ruby? Where am I? Who is _she_?" She lowered her arm, retreating from the attack stance, but still bearing a defensive tone, a hint of rage in her voice when mentioning the blonde.

"...it can speak?" The youngster glanced at her sister, who'd just whispered in horror. Yang remained immobile on the ground, face completely drained of color.

"Oh shut up, Yang. Not now!" The reprimand came out sterner than intended, but her serious attitude was more than justified considering the circumstances. Facing back towards the marble creature, she took a step forward and calmly gripped the cold stone arm. "I told you I could help, remember? Well, this is my house, and that's my sister."

It took a couple of seconds for the sculpture to make sense of the words, but within a flash her eyes widened in excitement, and her arms were wrapped around the archer in what would sooner be considered a death grip than a hug. The dark-haired girl felt her joints crack loudly, and thanked the heavens that no ribs were broken.

"OH THANK YOU, RUBY! YOU'RE THE BEST!" The affectionate gesture came to an end when the victim started desperately hitting her jailor's shoulder with the palm of her hand, the lack of air in her compressed lungs getting more and more concerning. After Ruby had time to recover from near-death, she proceeded with the introductions.

"Penny, that's Yang Xiao Long, my sister. Yang, this is Penny. It's… a long story" She added quietly to her sister, who accepted the marble hand gesturing for a handshake. After the contact broke off, the blonde kept staring at her own fingers, unable to believe what she'd just touched.

"It's very nice to meet you, Yang!" When no response came back, Penny leaned into Ruby's ear and questioned in a murmur. "She doesn't say much, does she?"

 _If only you knew._ The huntress waved it off, finding the truth an unnecessary complication for another time. If the marble girl was going to stay with them, she would find out eventually.

In the meanwhile, the older sibling managed to snap of out her daze, and left the room shaking her head, simply mentioning she had to get ready to go out, and something about not being able to handle all that sorcery.

Ruby took a sit at the table and gestured her stone friend to do the same, intending to explain the circumstances that led to that point.

"During the morning, we b-"

Her speech was cut short by the distinct sound of wood cracking, followed by a loud thud. In treating the statue like any other guest, she'd forgotten marble wasn't exactly light, and the chair in which she had tried to sit was reduced to a few loose planks of lumber.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby!" The golem returned to her feet with some difficulty, due to her weight, and immediately started gathering the wooden splinters, worried about destroying her benefactor's house. The huntress laughed at the mess, and assured the visitor that there was no harm done. The white-skinned girl was not very convinced, still ashamed to be a burden, but ceased the task and stood for the rest of the conversation, letting the red-hooded archer clarify the events of that morning.

When the epic but truthful tale, complete with impromptu sound effects, came to an end, and the giggles they shared vanished at last, Penny stretched her hand towards her companion's, and squeezed it softly, looking her in those intense silver eyes.

"Thank you, Ruby, really. What you did for me… I'll never be able to-"

"Huh, Penny? You still there? Everything okay?" The human looked disconcertedly at the sculpture, who had abruptly stopped speaking, removing her hand from hers and making a serious expression. She didn't look back at Ruby, but stared at the other side of the room, towards the bedrooms that lied behind her.

"There's someone in your house." Penny whispered the words with no hesitation, clenching her fists.

When the archer looked back she saw a man, dressed in a brown overcoat and matching slacks under loose leather boots tied at the top just below the knee. The only hints of color in his outfit were a stained orange shirt hiding behind the coat and vest, also brown, and the scarf tightly wrapped around his neck and jaw, yellow in color. His face was full of dirt, as was the jacket, and he was carrying a large hat that covered all hair.

Ruby sat back down and payed no mind to the newcomer, who sighed deeply after seeing the smashed seat on the floor and then proceeded to the door. Waving at the girls, he opened the entrance and took a step outside, before being stopped by a call.

"Good luck!" The stranger chuckled at the dark-red haired girl's words, and left.

When the huntress tore her sight from the door, she was met by a pair of monochromatic eyes staring back at her with confusion. The stony creature hadn't relaxed from her attack position, yet unsure of how to feel about the intruder that had just casually strolled through to the exit.

"It's okay, Penny. I said you're safe here. That was just Yang." The youngster tried to comfort her friend, who looked even more confused than before, although no longer tensing her muscles.

"Is she a man?"

"What? No! It's… complicated" Ruby hoped there would be no need to go on, but she had no such luck, as the statue still had her gaze fixated on her with a curious look. "During the night she arm-wrestles soldiers at the tavern, and makes money from the bets. So she had to look like a man, because no one would take a girl's challenge seriously. Honestly the only reason she still hasn't been caught is the poor guys are always different, their squads are constantly arriving and leaving our village, moving somewhere else to prepare for the war…"

The marble girl looked satisfied with the answer, even if still a bit surprised, to put it mildly.

"So, where were we? Oh right, I was gonna say, you can stay with us here." When the stone girl turned to protest, she continued with a chastising tone. "Hey, no arguing! You will and that's final! And tomorrow I'll work on getting you _unbound_ to that podium, so you can walk around more freely."

"And how are you going to do that?" The question came with the raise of a brow, sitting somewhere between amazement and doubt.

"I'm going to visit the witch."

* * *

 **For clarification, a thin and short-ish girl like Penny (1,65m - 5'5'') would weigh around 147kgs (322lbs) in solid marble. It's _pretty_ heavy, even for two people, but not impossible.  
**

 **Feel to free to review to scream at my incorrect assessments of human strength, or with any other opinion. As always, your views are welcome.**


	4. The Witch

**4\. The Witch**

"You WHAT?!"

"It's not that big of a deal, Yang."

"Are you insane? You can't just go ask the witch for a favor! She hates you!" Once again, Yang was not amused, even less than she had been at her sister's previous insane idea.

Ruby thought she was overreacting, just the blonde's usual short fuse, but there was a point to their argument: the village's magician was not fond of either of them, or anyone for that matter. It wasn't personal, she just didn't appreciate being bothered by the petty wishes of the populace, be it better weather for the crops or conquering the forbidden love of their desired. Not that she refused to comply, the sorceress was the unspoken bedrock of their community, but it always came with a price. And those who failed to pay their due soon found themselves deep in regret, victims of a swift and merciless vengeance.

"Well, I can't just leave Penny like that! She needs help, I won't let her keep being a prisoner forever. So unless you have a better idea, I'll do what has to be done."

"I just don't understand why you're risking so much for someo… some _thing_ you barely know."

Ruby suppressed her frustration, feeling her insides fire up at her sibling's intolerance. Why she still couldn't let go of her prejudice of all things non-human was beyond the huntress. There were many creatures of danger and malice out there, but the poor statue wasn't one of them. The words that came out of the archer's mouth next were seeped in bitterness, venom flowing through her veins.

" **She** is my friend. And in case you didn't notice, friends are difficult to come by for someone like me."

And with that, she left, slamming the flimsy wooden door behind her. Ruby loved her sister, but her thick skull could be exceptionally hard to get around in some matters. Yang couldn't understand, she would never be looked at with upturned noses, treated like a lesser being by her peers. It was one of the reasons the dark-haired girl had took refuge in the forest, trading the scorn of the townsfolk for the silent and understanding embrace of nature. She didn't feel judged amongst the trees, free to be whoever she wanted.

The huntress made her way to the village, from their house that sat quite further apart from the central conglomerate of huts. It was a quaint space, calm and peaceful at the surface if nothing else. The homes closely resembled her own, disheveled shacks topped by straw roofs, and were linked to each other by beaten dirt paths, interrupting the grass and weeds that grew all around the ground.

The villagers were usually all poor, supported only by the sweat of their bow, ploughing the fields or shepherding cattle from dusk till dawn. Therefore, their houses were just as austere as Ruby and Yang's. The most exotic decoration nearby were short-sized pots of lilies and other colored flowers, kept by the door as both an ornament and an air freshener. Baths were an excessive waste of water, and so they had to use alternate methods of dealing with the constant stench of sweat and mud.

Further within there was a small square, drawn around the public well. It was the most important commodity for their survival, but it doubled as a meeting place for the commoners. Laundresses could be seen there early in the morning, busying themselves with more than one type of dirty laundry. It was also the chosen niche for the occasional village assemblies, but those never forewarned anything good.

The hooded archer hurried her step, feeling eyes of hatred burn a hole on the back of her head. This was why she mostly avoided the townsfolk, tired of the labels they stamped on her. It was hard to create roots when the people refused to give her the benefit of doubt.

Circling past the people and buildings, she at last reached her destination: a cottage on a small hill overlooking the surrounding fields. The entrance faced away from the town, almost a signal to dissuade anyone from using it. The construction was even more diminutive than the rest, clearly built not for a family, but only one person. Vines crawled through the outer walls, seeping in through the cracks, and if Ruby didn't know better she'd have said it was abandoned. There were no flowers at the door, but it never did smell anyway.

Reaching for the door handle, she steadied herself and swallowed a large gulp, fighting against the nerves tearing at her stomach. She was no stranger here, but it was distressing nevertheless to go into a place that went through such lengths to make her feel unwelcome. She wished the door would magically open by itself, inviting her in and sparing her the trouble, but she had no such luck. So she took a deep breath, twisted the lock and pushed it.

A cold breeze escaped through the opening, as if trading places with the red-hooded girl who'd just walked in. The compartment in which she stood was tiny, and felt quite claustrophobic. It consisted of a simple table with candles on top and a curtain behind it, with little room for more than one person. The sheet of cloth hid the sorceress' quarters, and access was restricted for any and all visitors. There was a strange force drawing her to it, asking her to tear the veil and discover who lied behind it, but Ruby fought the impulse, remembering the last man who'd tried. He had met a slow demise, torn apart and eaten by birds in the town square. Dispelling the unpleasant memories, she reminded herself of the protocol, and kneeled before the table, awaiting to be addressed. The voice took some time, but it came.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here, Rose." It was a soft sound, and the words were almost sang, with no trace of contempt. The archer always forgot how powerful that voice felt, beautiful but sharp and decisive.

There was a silence, indicating the woman on the other side expected an answer.

"I was hoping you could help me."

"Everyone that comes through that door does. But you… you still owe me. I hope you didn't forget." She hadn't. Her last request had been conceded, but there had still been no repayment.

"You never did ask for anything in return."

There was a chuckle from the opposite side. _That_ was strange, all those years and Ruby'd never heard the sorceress laugh. She doubted anyone had.

"You are right. I'm saving yours for later, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. But enough of that, what did you want, girl?"

The huntress stumbled her way through an explanation, retelling what she'd learned and experienced about her marble companion. She omitted the kiss, questioning its relevance to the story, but otherwise kept most of the details in, the ones pertaining the statue at least. From finding the golem, to its sudden awakening, their fight, the truce and the consequent trip back home. When it was over, the other woman wasted no breath in proceeding, her tone unfazed like she'd heard the very same tale many other times.

"And you expect me to turn it human? Still as foolish as ever, Rose."

"No! Well, yes but… If she could at least be away from her podium that would be a great help. Or being able to walk around during the day…"

"Hmm. That may be doable, but it will be quite the debt you're piling up. Are you sure you want that?"

"Whatever you need, as long as it helps Penny." The voice hummed in amusement, clearly satisfied with the answer.

"We have a deal. Come back in an hour and I'll have what asked for ready."

/

After a long stroll that did nothing to soothe her mind, time was up at long last, and Ruby returned to the shack. This time there was a vial of clear white liquid on the table. Forcing herself not to grab it straight away, she waited for instructions, which came not long after.

"Take the flask and use it to coat both the statue and its base. After that you are to return here."

The red-hooded girl took the glass bottle in her hand, feeling the cold surface against her skin.

"I'll give you until dawn, so you can make sure it works. When you arrive, I have a task that requires someone with your hunting skills."

"I understand. Thank you." The archer motioned towards the exit, but the conversation was not yet over.

"Oh, and Rose? Do **not** be late."

She ran all the way back to the house, gripping the flask close to her heart, the excitement guiding her way, and blinding her to the eyes of contempt cast upon her. She wasted no time applying the slimy formula to the sculpture, rubbing it all over its body.

The effects took a few moments to start showing, but soon thereafter the golem was rising once more, for the first time under the afternoon sun.

The newfound freedom was strange at first, the marble girl unsure of the new experiences at her disposal, the sunlight being merely the beginning. They spent the remaining day and night testing out the limits to her new predicament, now free to roam the world as much as she desired. They ran, talked and giggled as hours passed by, grateful for the gifts they'd been given. Even Yang, who had followed them with the pretense of making sure they were safe and away from the prying eyes of the creature-hating villagers, had to admit it was quite the endearing sight. Seeing the beast interact with her sister in such a harmless fashion, she found herself thinking that perhaps the sculpture wasn't a menace after all. She was still going to keep an eye on it, or rather, _her._

/

Ruby looked at the horizon, noticing the rapidly approaching sun. Dawn was coming, and with it a promise she had no option but to keep. She was saddened to leave, interrupting the fun they were all having, but duty called, and it would be very foolish to ignore it.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. The witch said she wanted me to do some hunting job. Can't keep her waiting."

"How long will you be out?" Both the other girls stopped, and Yang was the one to speak. She knew how these deals worked, and she'd been expecting the con ever since her sister had returned.

"I don't know, she didn't even say what it is I'm after."

"Be careful!" Penny was clearly confused by the exchange between the two siblings, how undisturbed they seemed by the archer's departure, and was trying to maintain composure. Being new to the town, she did not understand the lay of the land. She reluctantly watched her new, and only, friend turn to leave, and she wasn't sure of why.

"Don't worry, Penny. I'm the best huntress around."

The golem felt satisfied with the confident answer, looking at the red-hooded back who gradually walked away. It was only a moment later that she came to a realization, struck by the depths of her ignorance, and yelled at the figure.

"Aren't you the only one?" She received no response but a chuckle.

Ruby kept walking resolutely, with no intention of making her appointment wait. The sun had not yet finished to unshackle itself from the landscape when she made it to sorceress' hut. She opened the door with determination and obediently paused, expecting her orders.

"Right on time, I'm impressed. Did everything work with no problems?"

"Yes, it did. Thank you."

"This is the part where you thank me, yes. I have a monster problem, Rose, and you just got promoted to exterminator."

* * *

 **I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this chapter, it's far from my best. It was mostly teasing of things to come, but I needed to get it out of the way to work on the next part, which I think is much more exciting.  
**

 **Don't forget to review. I feed on your opinions to keep me going, be it good or bad, so it really helps to know what you think.**


	5. Monsters in Disguise

**I hope there aren't any spelling issues in this one. Might have skimmed through the proof reading, life kinda decided to start happening all of a sudden.**

* * *

 **5\. Monsters in Disguise**

The hooded figure hopped nimbly from branch to branch, trying to keep balance at the high altitude. Falling would certainly shatter some bones, but the height advantage gave her the element of surprise, and it was a tradeoff she most certainly needed. It had been two nights since Ruby hunted the beast, and it still evaded her. Shadows and silhouettes were her only rewards, but she knew she was getting closer. The ground was torn and scratched, marking signs of recent struggle. It had been there, and the noticeable trails meant it was growing desperate, feeling trapped. She was counting on it, letting the creature tire itself out before moving in for the kill. That was the way of the hunter, cunningly working against the animal's natural strengths.

In fairness, she was starting to grow tired as well, a subtle pain creeping into her leg muscles. The prolonged hunt was draining, but without the psychological warfare of being chased, the archer was confident she could outlast the creature. It wasn't exhaustion that got them in the end, it was panic.

She had never hunted a monster before, used to small game only, a buck at best, but the rules were the same. If the prey was bigger, she only had to stalk it longer.

" _What am I hunting?"_

" _A lycan. A man who can transform into a fiend. What it can transform into, I do not know. It's elusive, this one. Only rumors of its passing, and the carcasses of its victims."_

Ruby wasn't happy about hunting something that passed as human, but she had been given no choice. If that was the price to helping Penny, it was worth it. Seeing her friend freed from her magical shackles had been a reward in and of itself, and the grateful smile it had earned her was still fresh in her memory.

She shook those thoughts from her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. No matter how sweet the subject, losing concentration could get her killed, especially while she kept to the treetops.

" _I didn't know you cared about monsters terrorizing the village."_

" _Oh please, as if that bothered me in the slightest. You are to bring me its ears. They are objects of great power, and I need them. How you get them is not my concern."_

Dusk was starting to fall, so the dark haired girl slid from a branch and carefully made her way back to the ground. It was not the most favorable place for her to be in, but the darkness made her already poor footing into a death trap.

She kept running, the adrenaline of the chase pumping into her veins, feeling her goal growing nearer. After some time, only the moon light remained, and she was forced to set up camp for the night.

She lit a small fire to keep any poachers at bay, and set her tools on the ground. The cloak doubled as a very reliable heat source, so she had no need for a bedroll. Lying on the cold hard ground, Ruby rolled in her cape, and quickly dozed off. The task would have to wait until the morning, when light was again available.

But whereas the huntress rested, her prey did not, and it tired of waiting to be caught. A trapped animal will do anything to survive, even attacking if no other way is possible.

* * *

Penny had taken the last couple of days to adapt to her new life, trying to become a useful member of the household. It was strange being alone with Yang, the blonde still seemed mildly suspicious of her, but Ruby had yet to come back from the errand she was running for the witch. The golem was astonished to find she missed the red-hooded girl, someone who had so recently entered her life. Still, the archer had taken great efforts to help and befriend her, that form of selflesness was bound to leave a mark.

She was helping wherever she could, absorbing new information with every breath. She'd never had to wash dishes, or cook, and it seemed each new activity required her to train and fail. Her caretaker was evidently trying hard not to lash out at the statue, recognizing good intentions where skill and knowledge was clearly lacking. Yang only thanked the heavens that most of their appliances were made of sturdy wood, and thus not easily breakable. While she was strong herself, the stony creature was absurdly mighty, and still had a long way to go in measuring her force.

On the other hand, the blonde was strangely glad to have the marble creature around. It didn't just ease the worry of her sister's absence, but an extra pair of hands gave her a lot more free time. The statue's eagerness to be of use was commendable, and it didn't hurt how little maitenance she required. Penny didn't sleep, neither did she eat, drink or require any form of compensation besides patience. It was essentialy the perfect helper, or she would be in the future with some effort. Although having someone walking through the house was she slept was more than a little distressing. She was willing to give the white-colored girl a second chance, but it was hard to get her head around their new predicament nevertheless.

That afternoon, the golem was washing a large pan they'd used to prepare some of the salted meat Ruby had gathered over time. The older sibling would later take it into town to sell it, since they had more than they needed, and she had a better standing, or rather not nearly as bad, with the village's inhabitants.

Penny found herself humming, this new and simple life breathing joy into her non-existant lungs. She still missed her father, but, for the first time since he'd left, she didn't feel alone. She had new friends, people she could trust. She could see and feel the sun on her marble skin, even if going outside was unadvisable - someone spotting her would mean a lynching mob at their doorstep within minutes. She just wished the dark-haired huntress would return soon.

The strange melodic noise attracted company into the kitchen, in the form of a golden-haired woman.

"Hey Penny, did you say something? I heard your voice, but couldn't understand a thing." Any form of singing or music was foreign to their household, usually restricted to inns and castles where bards performed in return for coin, so Yang hadn't even considered that possibility.

"No, I was just... actually I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Look, Pen, you're pretty and all, but you're not really my type." The blonde jested, trying her best to act natural in the face of what looked like a serious conversation brewing. Her natural included a whole lot of teasing and a couple of inappropriate jokes that she wasn't sure the statue would understand.

As expected, the ivory figured just stared confusedly at the remark, so Yang waved her hand to signal the other to proceed.

"I was wondering, why do you and Ruby have different last names? You are sisters, right? But you are Xiao Long and she's Rose, why's that?"

The bright-haired girl's smile turned into a deep frown, and she took a seat at the table. They hadn't yet procured a steel-reinforced chair that could withstand the sculpture's weight, so her guest had no choice but to stand.

"We're only half-sisters. We have the same dad, but different moms. Ruby would've kept the Xiao Long surname, it was our father's, but she was born outside marriage. She's what people around here call _a bastard._ "

"What's that?"

"It's an insult used to mark those who were born from an affair. It's a stigma, they're supposed to be lesser than the rest of us, murderers and thieves or the like. You've never been outside, so you don't know the way everyone looks at Ruby, the things they say behind her back. It's **disgusting**."

Her voice was faltering, filled with an unbearable rage. Penny could tell it was hard on the brawler to talk of these matters aloud. Yang might have never felt the discrimination on her own skin, but years of seeing her sister suffer had changed her, anger burning inside her and threatening to surface.

"That's… awful."

"It's a load of horse crap, that's what it is! They have no right to hurt her, to treat her like she's just an animal! Sometimes I just…" She stopped, noticing her fist slammed on the table. The white-colored girl looked terrified, so Yang forced herself to inhale and exhale, trying to calm down. "…sorry, it's just not fair. A lot of people hate us around here. It's why we live farther away from the rest."

The golem said nothing, her face clouded in horror. She had no idea there was so much pain inside this family she'd been made a part of. They had been so kind, always with happy-looking smiles on their faces. Now she knew better.

"They tell stories, you know? It began after the marriage proposals, a few boys who came around asking for my hand. When I rejected all of them, they started to spread slander around. Of how we're monsters in disguise, or how we lie with each other in sin at night, all kinds of lies."

"What about your parents? What happened to them?

"My mother died giving birth to me. I never even met her. A couple of years later, dad met another woman. Summer, she was Ruby's mom. Well, actually she was _our_ mom. She was the one who stayed by our side while we grew up. She was great, sweet and caring, and she made the most amazing cookies. Until one day she just… got sick. We couldn't find out what was wrong, and we never found a cure. It was pretty hard on all of us, but dad took it the worst. He started drinking, and, a couple of weeks later, joined the army. That was the last we saw of him."

"I… I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It's okay, Penny. I'm sorry too, that you had to hear all of that. But you're one of us now. Welcome to our family of misfits." The blonde shot her a warm smile, recuperating from the heavy topic they had been discussing. It was hard talking about it, but the sculpture deserved to know.

Before any more words could be uttered, the peaceful moment was interrupted by a loud crash, and they both turned to see the red-hooded huntress slam into the door, collapsing inside the hut. Her cape was tattered, her body covered in a mix of sweat, mud and blood, and there were cuts and bruises all through her skin. Before she passed out, the archer managed to get a few loose words out.

"I couldn't… it caught me…"

And with that, consciousness abandoned her.

* * *

 **I like this chapter, it's straight to the point, no lollygagging. There's some Penny and Yang bonding time, some backstory, Ruby doing Ruby-things, all good shit.**

 **As always, thanks for the support, you guys are great. I'll see you _soon_.**


	6. Like Civilized People

**6\. Like Civilized People**

"This is a bad idea."

For once, Penny was the one to voice her displeasure. She was sure Yang agreed with her feelings towards the nonsensical situation they found themselves in, but to their dismay, Ruby was having none of it, set in a professional, take-no-prisoners attitude. As much as both girls tried to convince her otherwise, she was determined to resume the failed job.

"Don't back out now, Penny. You said you'd help."

"I only did it because you'd kill yourself out here all alone. You should be home resting, Ruby."

After the prior night's events, when the archer had collapsed at their doorstep from exhaustion, they'd barely had time to nurse her back to health before she decided to drag them to the woods. She wanted to finish the task at all costs, and there was nothing they could do to dissuade her. Despite the blood splashed on her attire, she had suffered no major wounds, only small scrapes, and now that she'd slept and eaten properly, strength had returned to her muscles.

But even restored, the huntress recognized she was no match for the monster. The first attempt at catching it had been foiled, and mere luck had gotten her out in one piece. She'd woken up right as the fiend was closing in on her, and she ran as fast as she could back home with no significant damage. Now it was time to summon the cavalry, or at least, as much backup as she was going to get. It was a substantial improvement in the means of raw stopping power, a brawler with a fiery temper and a colossal creature of stone. If those two couldn't take down a single beast, she doubted a whole battalion could. And after successfully staking the lycan once, picking up the trail would be much easier.

Thus, they found themselves amongst the trees, looking sheepishly at their leader who was concentrated on the nearby foliage. It was a strange experience for both of them, watching the red-hooded girl in action, immersed in her natural element. It was almost as if the gleeful youngster had disappeared, replaced by an attentive and observant woman, who spoke not a word when she was working. The statue didn't rightfully know what to think of this new side of her friend, so further apart from the cheerful self she'd known so far, but considering the new information she had been given she decided to accept that not all could be colorful and bright. Humans could have a darker side too, but that didn't necessarily mean they were bad. To her knowledge, Ruby certainly wasn't.

Eventually the hard work seemed to pay off, the archer hummed in satisfaction and gestured her companions to follow her. They traded concerned glances, utterly lost in this part of the forest, but decided to trust that the huntress knew what she was doing.

The walk continued for hours, the sun rising and descending in the sky above, hidden behind the thick vegetation that prevented them from having a proper notion of the passage of time. Ruby kept chasing the clues of her prey, with a determination that bordered on obsession, making the other girls question whether it was still just a contract or a personal vendetta.

Along the way, Yang had grabbed a couple of wild berries, and was distracting herself by flinging them at the marble sculpture. Penny took it as a challenge, and they soon found themselves in a heated berry battle, never ceasing to follow the red-hooded youngster. Her marble hands were tainted in crimson, from all the fruits she'd tried to catch, only to squash them by accident with her stone hands. They both giggled in silence, finding some means of enjoyment in that forsaken place.

Their playful antics were stopped when Ruby turned back, and raised on hand in the air while looking at them.

"Keep quiet, we're almost there. Oh, and Yang?" Amusement flickered through her eyes, as she pointed to the red spheres on her sister's hand. "You do know those are poisonous, right?"

The blonde shrieked, letting go of the fruits she held, and wiped her palms on the side of her trousers with a frightened look. Penny dropped hers too, before realizing that whatever toxic substance they were composed of, she was most likely immune to.

"Relax, you'll get a rash at worse." The dark-red haired girl laughed, a smile creeping onto her lips. It was certainly refreshing to see her back to normal.

Yet the light-hearted moment was gone as fast as it had come, the task at hand waiting for no one. They soon started to notice increasingly torn and scratched vegetation, their silence matched by the quietness in the air. It seemed the creature's lair was near, and a collective breath escaped their throats upon the sight before them.

A massive tree stood proud, towering towards the heavens, the ground in front of it clear of anything but dirt. The trunk was hollowed, a hole in it marking the entrance, and inside were someone's living quarters. A blanket was carefully folded in a corner, the only object inside that could pass as a bed, and a couple of satchels were lying messily on the floor. The lack of contents indicated whoever was taking refuge there hadn't been doing so for long. It wasn't very spacious, but the thick wood all around created a great shield for both the cold and the elements. A half-eaten hare was hanging by a tree branch outside, waiting for the owner's next meal.

This had to be it, they were sure they'd found the place they sought. Since the fiend wasn't home, Ruby coordinated them into ambush position, and they waited for the prey. The archer and her sister took to the treetops, to catch the monster from above, while Penny did her best to hide below, her physique incapacitating her to climb with the rest. She just hoped the glimmering white marble wasn't _too_ obvious between the green foliage.

Within the hour, as the sun set on the horizon, their guest arrived, an enormous panther-like animal, fur black as night and limbs muscled and thick. It looked powerful, capable of ripping a man in half with her sharp fangs and claws. The stone girl started to question the solidity of the plan, scared not for herself, her skin was tough and impenetrable, but for her cohorts. The lycan stopped to a halt, and her proverbial heart skipped a beat, as the creature was staring straight at her. The huntress had made sure they were positioned against the wind, so as to counteract the beast enhanced sense of smell, but it quickly became evident that it wasn't enough. The ambush had failed.

A yell came from above, catching the dark beast by surprise, as a golden haired figure leaped at it. The dodge to the side wasn't enough, and arms grabbed at its legs, a full-body tackle keeping her in place. The golem took her cue to jump in, and ran, aiming a punch at the animal's face. But before she registered what had happened, she heard a growl and her fist connected only to the dirt below. She fell, a strong blow to her leg throwing her off balance, projecting the hit she intended to deliver right to the ground.

As she struggled to turn face up, her weight working once more against her, she saw Yang trying to grapple the opponent, only to take a swift kick to the belly, pushing her into the air. The panther was predicting all of the attacks thrown at it, and its finesse allowed it to stay one step ahead of the brawler. The fight wasn't going well for them, odds quickly turning to the opposite side. The blonde got back up and projected all of her rage into a blind flurry of strikes, her eyes lighting up with the flames of her anger. The muffled cry that followed suggested at least one of the hits reached the target, but it wasn't enough to grab the advantage, and she was tripped over, losing her footing and her attack power.

Penny finally managed to return to her feet, in time to see Yang falling down with a loud cracking sound, and the fiend walking a few steps back without taking its eyes off of the fallen opponent. Then, it lowered its body and flexed its back legs, preparing to pounce at the prey. The ivory-skinned girl started sprinting, trying to prevent the carnage right about to happen, but before she could reach it, a short white line flew in, cutting the air in its path.

The animal growled in pain, an arrow lodged in its calf, the barbed tip coming out on the other side. It was only then that the girl made of marble realized Ruby hadn't joined in on the fight. Throughout the entire brawl, she had stayed in her position, and had clearly been waiting for the right moment to strike with her hard-trained accuracy. She looked at the hooded huntress who nimbly descended from her perch. They traded a smile, and then approached the creature, another bolt tensed against the bowstring, just in case. Behind them, Yang struggled to get up, and took a few step as well, with difficulty due to her probably broken ribs. Neither of them was ready for what came next.

Right before their eyes, the panther shuddered its entire body, and slowly the black fur disappeared, leaving only bare skin. The sizable animal shrunk ever so slightly, and the bloodthirsty eyes turned into wide golden orbs, long dark hair appearing from behind its head. True to its species, the lycan reverted back to human form, although clearly in great pain to do so. And, within seconds, there wasn't a monster on the ground, but a woman, stark-naked, still clenching her teeth from the projectile stuck in her leg. Her heritage was only evident by a small pair of fur-covered ears at the top of her head, which were almost camouflaged by her disheveled black mane. Paying no mind to her aggressors, she leaned forward and used her newly formed opposable thumbs to grab the back of the arrow, and pull it out in one go. The trio of huntresses took a step back at the blood-chilling scream that followed.

It was then, pressing against her bleeding wound, that the dark-haired girl turned to the assailants. She slowly limped to Penny, and reached for her with the available arm. Her voice was soft, and it came out as a reverent whisper.

"What are you?"

"I'm… a statue?" While she answered, Ruby was pressing the new arrow even harder into her bow, unsatisfied with the turn of events. She knew the golem could defend herself, but she wasn't going to let her guard down, regardless of how vulnerable the panther-woman seemed.

"Fascinating, I've never met one of your kind." And, lowering her tone, she added. "Why are you with _them_?"

"They are my friends!" The stony girl retorted, confident in her answer, and provoking an astonished look on the nude woman.

"Your… friends? They're humans, and they were hunting me!"

"We were hunting a monster that is supposed to live on this part of the forest. One that eats people." The archer barged in the conversation, worried about the course it was running.

The lycan pointed at the hanged rabbit. "I **don't** eat humans."

"And why should we trust you?"

"Because I haven't killed you? I had plenty of opportunities, believe me. You think you escaped me yesterday because of your own merits? You were sleeping, I could have torn you to pieces. Instead, I chose to scare you away. I was hoping you wouldn't return."

Ruby lowered her bow only a little, stunned by those words. She thought she'd been lucky, but now it made _too much_ sense. She had managed to flee because she had been _allowed to_.

"Look, we'll talk about this like civilized people, but can I at least patch this up and get dressed? The blonde one keeps eyeing me up, and it's starting to get uncomfortable." The feline-eared woman glared daggers at Yang, who only opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, mumbling incoherently.

"You're not going anywhere alone."

"Fine, she can come with me. I trust _her_." She pointed at the golem. Penny glanced around at her short friend, inquiring if it was all right with her, and received a subtle nod.

As they walked away to the creature's quarters, the huntress elbowed her sister in the arm, avoiding the potentially damaged ribcage, with a disapproving look. The brawler whispered back an excuse.

"Oh come on, Ruby, you saw it too! She was a panther, and now she's a girl! And what a girl…"

As the two creatures reached the inside of the tree, the brunette grabbed bandages and some sort of ointment, and started applying it to the pierced muscle. She hissed under her breath as the treatment stung into her flesh, and wrapped the whole thing tightly with the linen stripes.

"So, what's your name?"

"Penny."

"I'm Blake. Are you sure they can be trusted?"

"They're good people. They've treated me right so far, never cared that I wasn't human." It was a lie, Yang had most certainly cared, but the blonde was quickly starting to come around. Right now, diplomacy was more relevant than the absolute truth.

"Must be a peculiar sort, those two."

"They sure are." The marble sculpture grinned warmly, recollecting how lucky she felt to have met the sisters.

The other one finished getting presentable, and motioned for them to head back. She was wearing a simple white shirt and dark pants. At the top of her head, she wore a little black bow, covering her secondary pair of ears. She noticed the ivory-clad figure staring, and elucidated.

"If you managed to find me, others could follow. I wouldn't want any more humans knowing what I am. Not everyone is so understanding."

Outside, they found the duo of siblings sitting on the floor, the youngster checking the other's side for anything broken. The sisters turned and stopped what they were doing at the approaching silhouettes, but this time Ruby didn't even reach for her weapon. She knew that if the fiend wanted to crush them, they wouldn't be breathing still. There was a momentary stare between her and her stony friend, but a trusting smile assured her there was no cause for alarm.

"So, you mentioned a ' _monster'_ you were hunting? I hope by now you've realized it's not me."

"There's supposed to be a beast around these parts. It kills near our village, and leaves only carcasses."

"Well, there aren't any others like me around, I would've noticed…" Suddenly, the lycan's golden eyes shot up in shock. "Wait, you said it left only carcasses. Cattle or…"

"No, human."

"Oh, no…" Her voiced lowered, and her stance became smaller, her body coiling in fear. "I know who you're after."

Everyone stared intently at the dark-haired feline, waiting for the next piece of information, as well as curious as to what had caused such a reaction.

"There's only one lycan I know of who targets humans like that, so full of hatred. And he would know how to hide his tracks from me."

She breathed in and out, sorrow and dread both inhabiting her expression.

"You're after my old partner, Adam."

* * *

 **I thought this chapter was going to be much harder to write than it was. I usually have the events I want to happen, but need to try and piece them together. This time everything just fit into place by itself, it was really satisfying.**

 **Also, I assumed most people would figure out the lycan was Blake, so I tried not to treat it as a plot twist. Still, I didn't add her to the character list because I didn't want everyone to be expecting it since chapter one. I'll probably add her by the time the next chapter goes up.  
**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and I really appreciate your kind words and astute opinions. Don't change the channel, 'cause we'll be right back.  
**


	7. Truly a Monster

**This chapter took me almost a week to finish. It's the biggest one yet, with 3k words.**

 **It didn't help that I had a big family wedding in between. Those things take forever. But at least you get to order a lot of fancy and expensive drinks for free.**

 **But onward to the real questions you want answered: What happens with Adam? Is he going to find love at first sight with Penny, and is she going to show him the righteous way? Will Mechanical Bull become OTP? Find out below.**

* * *

 **7\. Truly a Monster**

"So, hum, this is our house." Yang raised her arm despite the stinging sensation below it, gesturing in a wide circle to point at the whole interior they were walking into. The raven-haired girl nodded quietly from underneath her arm, trying to cross the doorway without letting the blonde fall. She might have been able to walk, but Blake had been the one to inflict the damage, so she had volunteered to help carry her, now that her own affliction was visibly improving. And to everyone's surprise, the brawler had been considerably tame during the trip back.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Ruby muttered under her breath, surprised equally due to the lack of inappropriate jokes, and her sibling's ease to accept being helped by a non-human. The archer would've had no trouble, but her sister had always been more suspicious, yet for some reason she was perfectly unfazed this time around.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a cold and rigid hand reaching for her arm, trying to offer some form of comfort. She smiled at Penny, not having the heart to tell her the golem had misread the reaction. She wasn't upset, just very astonished.

The humanized lycan set the homeowner down on a chair, after a loud conflict about whether or not she should be going to bed, to which Yang argued that there was too much they still needed to discuss and she wasn't going to leave just yet. Everyone took a seat, except the marble statue who leaned against the nearby wall.

"So, what's the deal with this Adam?"

"We've known each other since we were cubs. You have to understand, life isn't easy for our kind." She looked at the sculpture, expecting an understanding look, but found nothing. "We're chased and killed because humans fear us, always have to be on the run. Large communities fend off attackers better, but they also become more of a target."

"That's what happened to us, we had a large pack, but all it took was a couple of men sneaking past us and the forest was set on fire. When we tried to run, they were waiting with swords and pitchforks. It was a massacre, and for every one of them that bled, ours fell twofold. I lost everything that day, my family, my home, Adam was the only one who stayed with me. But it changed him. He only wanted revenge, to throw himself back at the _enemy_. While we were together, I managed to calm him down and convince him not to. Until… one day, we were hunting and a farmer saw us. Adam said we couldn't leave witnesses, that he would tell others where we were. Before I could stop him, he ripped the man's throat open and he…"

Her voice cracked, yet she still managed to fend off the tears. The blonde squeezed her shoulder, and she breathed slowly, before proceeding.

"…he ate him. That's when I lost him too. He gained a taste for human flesh, and he always wanted more. He called it poetic justice. I left as soon as I could, and I've been by myself ever since. You call us monsters, but Adam… he is truly a monster. He wanted to fight back, but he only made people even more scared of us. I don't think I'd recognize the _thing_ he's become."

The room was dead silent, all its inhabitants trying with effort to chew through the lifetime of sorrow they'd just been presented. It was hard to talk after all that, none of them knew what the most sensible thing to say was. After some time, Blake was the one to speak.

"So, if you're going after him I'm game. It's time to put a stop to his madness."

"Are you sure? He's your childhood friend and all…"

"Like I said, he's not who he was all those years ago. It's my fault he became like that, and I need to stop running from my mistakes." And looking at Yang, she added. "Besides, you're in no condition to fight. Your sister is going to need all the help she can get."

"Oh no, there's no way in hell I'm staying behind on this one! I'm fine, don't treat me like some sickly old lady."

"Adam is not someone to take on lightly, he's strong, way stronger than me! In your state you'd be a liability, and you'd end up getting hurt. You could lose an arm, or worse." Knowing her sister, she would not back down so easily, so Ruby decided to make her an ultimatum.

"Look, Yang, you're staying at home unless you want to be bait."

All eyes in the room turned to her in a flash, wide in bewilderment.

"What? It's a legit hunting strategy!"

"Really, sis? Bait? Ouch…"

"So, it's decided that Yang's not coming. What now?" Penny interjected for the first time since they had returned. From her expression, the huntress assumed she was, understandably, still scared.

"We plan ahead. No offense, but you girls lack strategy."

* * *

The man stood quietly in the middle of the open field, as if waiting for something unknown. Of course, 'he' was in fact waiting, and it was no man, but a carefully disguised hulking mass of marble, courtesy of Yang's wardrobe. Above the thick white stone, she wore pants, boots, a shirt and a jacket, all within the shades of orange and brown the blonde seemed to prefer. Penny wasn't accustomed to the feel of cloth against her skin, her own attire was just as marbley as her, but she did rather enjoy the autumn theme of the colors. Her head was partially covered by a large hat, casting shadows over her eyes.

The marble skin was an evident signal that she wasn't truly human, but within the darkness of the night even the enhanced eyes of their target wouldn't notice until it was too late. The idea of painting her in a soft pink to complete the camouflage had been thrown on the table, but it was eventually deemed excessive. Although not as much as Ruby's plan of building a scarecrow full of cough remedy, to put the creature to sleep when he ate it. It was something the archer had heard of in a story, but just the medicine alone would've been too costly for any of their limited purses.

She glanced around to check if her co-conspirators were in position, then started walking around as casually as possible. Her smell, or rather Yang's, since her material was essentially odorless, began to spread around the surrounding area to attract the intended guest. Leaving the brawler behind meant someone else had to take on the mantle of bait, and the golem had been the obvious choice. She was unmistakably the one best outfitted to take a punch from any colossal beast, plus she knew this predicament had been brought around for her sake, so she felt eager to repay the kindness whenever possible.

The wind was soft, the moon hung high in the sky, and Penny was starting to have second thoughts. It was taking too long, maybe the trap had been just as much of a failure as the previous one, the one intended for Blake. That fight had ended on a positive note solely because the raven-haired lycan had preferred talking to killing. If this new foe was as great as she said, the sculpture feared for her friend's lives.

Her fears were quelled, only to be relit once more, by the sound of a long and loud howl. Facing the sound, she could spot only a silhouette in the distance. It was covered in fur, head sharp and angular like a wolf, only three times the size of one. The enormous fiend was circling her from afar, letting his presence be noticeable to strike fear into her heart. It was a typical predatorial tactic, and it was most certainly working. She was terrified, there was absolutely no way they could survive _that thing_ , much less defeat it.

An animal of instinct, it could smell the fear, feeling the prey losing composure, and it started to move forward, its four legs taking deliberately menacing steps towards the lonely victim. Penny moved back a few paces, from both the terror and the remembrance of the plan to lure the beast. It took all her self-control not to forsake the ploy and flee, but she knew there were others counting on her, others that did not have a built-in armor. She had to do this, al she needed was to get him to the right spot a little further...

The lycan stopped and sniffed the ground, before leaping over the concealed hole they had set up for him to fall in. They had figured he would notice, but it was an honest attempt just the same. The time had come for plan B, and the girl made of marble internally thanked Blake for her thorough scheming. Knowing the enemy was half the battle, and now they would test how well the two parties fared in the other half.

The stone girl put the right foot behind the left one, to get firmer footing, and tensed her legs, switching into a battle stance with her fists raised above. Staring at the ugly and furry face of danger, she inhaled and exhaled to calm herself. She reminded herself of the primary function her father had built her for, fighting and protecting. She was prepared to fall if it meant defending those she had recently found herself caring for. Her newfound confidence took form of a whisper in her lips. _I'm combat ready!_

They stared at each other, standing by the edge of the forest, tall pine trees marking the end of the field they had set for the confrontation. His walk turned into a full sprint, his shape growing bigger as he got closer. When he jumped at her, claws at the ready, Penny responded in kind by side stepping his attack, and leaving him open to external assault. The tip of the jacket was caught before she could completely dodge, tearing it at the sleeve, baring her smooth white skin for all to see.

The monster froze for a split second, confused by the inhuman shape now revealed to him, and the temporary hesitation soon proved to be a mistake, as two arrows flew in. One hit him in the shoulder, the other superficially perforating his side, barely missing the target. A third bolt joined in, but was struck right out of the air, useless now that the fiend had figured out the ruse.

Luckily, the hidden archer was not the only ace up their sleeve, and the marble girl avoided another blow in time to see a large black panther emerge from the shadows of the trees. After taking a swift strike to the head, the wolf-lycan opted for a retreat, now faced with overwhelming numbers. Pacing behind solely until he was out of range, he released a deep growl in frustration. His eyes were filled with rage and blood lust, and he never ceased to look at Blake, consumed by fury of seeing his old partner return.

There was another arrow, but he barely took the effort to deflect it. Trading a glance, the two bestial girls ran forward, each one taking one side of the opponent. Adam waited for them, before flexing his legs and jumping up, using on leg to vault over Penny's head and completely avoid the coordinated attack. His acrobatic stunt had him now positioned by his former partner's left, the panther trapped in between him and the statue.

He pressed his entire weight into a tackle that sent the raven-haired animal flying, stumbling with enough force to sweep her stony ally off her feet as well. They both collided with a nearby tree with a massive cracking sound. Blake ignored the noise, and went back to the fight, but Penny had other concerns in mind. It wasn't just any tree they'd had been thrown against, and she was almost certain it had been planned by their foe, as she heard a whimper just before Ruby tumbled with her back to the ground, her perch collapsing quickly. The sculpture's eyes widened as she powerlessly watched the entirety of the tree break and fall on top of her helpless friend.

Penny ran, trying to get the log off of the huntress. It's wasn't overly heavy, the reason why the silver-eyed girl still seemed to be alive, but the sheer size made it difficult to move. Behind them the fight seemed to stop, and voices could be heard in a fiery argument.

"Why are you doing this, Blake? Why must you hurt me?" he had a gravelly voice, hatred could be sensed in every word.

"Because you are insane!" The dark-haired girl's tone was a muffled cry, like her throat was clenched.

"Insane? I'm fighting for our freedom! Have you forgotten what they did to our families, our clan? Have you turned weak, living with enemy?"

"Is it weak to want peace? To want the bloodshed to end?"

Together, they managed to roll the trunk away, and Ruby recovered her breath, now that there wasn't anything pressing against her lungs. She appeared mostly fine, apart from the toll on her physical strength it had taken, clearly too spent to continue the struggle. Silently she motioned her colossal friend to flank the distracted Adam, while she hid behind the log, firing with her bow in safety.

Turning, Penny saw a lean and tall man with red hair grabbing the panther-lycan, now in human form too, by the neck, suspending her in mid-air. She stepped to the side, to avoid his line of sight, and snuck onto a critical position, waiting for the right moment.

"Peace is impossible! They will always hunt you and find you. _Unless you find them first._ "

Adam screamed as his monologue was interrupted by an arrow hitting his arm, forcing him to drop Blake. In one smooth motion, he turned and leapt to the direction of the shot, reverting back to beast before he even landed. The archer tried to avoid the monster who was now completely focused on her, but her muscles weren't responding properly, and he managed to strike her arm with one of his claws.

Penny sprinted at them, but before she could get within reach, she saw a dark-red liquid pour from the huntress' forearm.

She'd seen blood before, but this was different.

It wasn't just blood.

It was _Ruby's_ blood.

And _Ruby's_ voice, screaming in pain.

Her friend. The one person who had trusted her, given her hope.

There was only one thought in her mind.

 _Destroy._

 _Destroy the one who hurt Ruby._

 _Make him pay._

All semblance of control abandoned her, she completely gave in to the monster within. She had been built to fight, and that was now her only directive. Nothing mattered, nothing but seeing Adam dead.

A yell escaped her lips, and the wolf looked over in time to see a golem jumping at him. She landed on top of him and straddled his chest, feeling legs pointlessly struggle underneath. Her biggest weakness might've been her weight, but it was now her strongest asset too, and the animal was caged under her. He tried to punch her, but she merely grabbed at his fists and twisted, hearing the sound of bones cracking.

Ignoring his howls of pain, she descended one fist on his face. Then, the other. Again, and again, and again.

"YOU… WILL… NOT… TOUCH… MY… FRIENDS!"

" **YOU WILL… NOT… HURT RUBY** **!** **"**

She lost count of how many times she'd pounded into his skull, smashed bone now mixed with blood and flesh in a messy pile of gore. She kept going, absolutely out of her mind, only stopping when she heard a loud pleading voice behind her.

"Penny, stop! He's already dead! Please, you're scaring me…"

The statue regained her senses, and saw what she'd done. Somehow the lycan was back in human form, and her hands were dripping crimson from the disgusting remains of what once had been his face. Getting up, Penny took a step to the red-hooded girl, concerned about her well-being.

"Are you okay?"

The other girl cringed and stepped back, avoiding her gaze. Her arm was now bandaged with the ripped sleeve of her now crimson shirt, but her eyes well filled with unspeakable horror. It was then that the realization hit Penny. Ruby was afraid of her.

"I think we should go home." Blake appeared from behind them, trying to fill the dreaded silence. She was slightly shaken as well, and refused to face the corpse of her former her partner.

"You go ahead, I think I need a moment." Ruby uttered the words while intensely staring at the floor.

The sculpture felt her arm being pulled, and she looked back one last time before walking away, filled with regret.

* * *

 _What the hell was that? She just flipped and… calm down, Ruby, there's still a job to do._

Breathing in deeply, the silver-eyed youngster approached the body and took out her hunting knife from her belt. It was a stroke of luck that the furry wolf ears were undamaged, surviving only for being soft and malleable in comparison to the rest of the skull. She removed them carefully, trying to contain her revolted stomach.

She was sure Blake would've objected to her actions. If the rumors were true, and the animal ears were the key to the lycan's transformation abilities, the raven-haired creature for sure would've though it unforgivable. Hence why Ruby had sent them away, wanting to see the task to the end no matter what.

She still had a contract to fulfill. Too much had happened, and she wasn't going to throw it all away. Not even after witnessing in shock what her marble friend was capable of.

She had a witch to visit.

* * *

 **Well, I guess there was no true love waiting for Adam this time. Too bad.**

 **And if anyone had been wondering why the fic had an M rating since the start, this chapter was the reason. Pretty gorey imagery going on there.  
**

 **I considered making Adam a Bull-shifter, because of his surname and clothing-motif, but in the end wolf made more sense to me. It's not just the Red Riding Hood theme, but the way his character is drawn, thin and edgy (badumtss) reminds me a lot of a wolf. He has a very sharp canine-like face.**

 **I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Blake a lot, and I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you have to say next. See you next time.  
**


	8. Your Heritage

**Before we start, I want to say that we're now entering the final arc of this story.**

 **I like writing short self-contained stories. It's not just easier, but helps maintaining focus in the storytelling, something a lot of long fics I've read seem to struggle with. When I start, I try to have bullet points of what happens in each chapter, to get a grip on the pacing. You can do that with a longer story, but it's a hell of a lot harder. That doesn't mean I'll never try to write something large scale, it's just where I feel the most comfortable right now.**

 **This story couldn't last forever, now could it? But don't worry, there are still surprises waiting. And who knows, maybe the ending doesn't mean it's game over, if you know what I mean.**

* * *

 **8\. Your Heritage**

Penny turned the door handle, trying to be as silent as possible considering her absurd mass. Dawn would be approaching soon, but it was still quite dark, and she didn't want to wake the two girls who slept peacefully in their rooms, none the wiser about her plan. It was hard to be acting behind the sisters' backs, but her mind was set on the objective. She'd been given no choice.

As she snuck outside and shut the door behind her, a voice called out, making the statue jump up in surprise.

"Where exactly are you going at this hour?"

Startled, she looked to her left and noticed a pair of golden eyes staring back. Feeling her sight adjust to the dim lighting, she saw Blake leaning with one elbow against the wall, in a quasi-seductive pose.

After the Adam crisis, the female lycan had started to spend more and more time around the house, slowly becoming a member of the family as well. She and Ruby had become friends almost instantly, trading hunting stories and strategies, and she had offered some help in Yang's recovery. The sculpture enjoyed the silent company of the other creature, although she wasn't sure where the raven-haired woman had been sleeping, seeing as there were only two beds in the house, and those were occupied by the siblings.

Being caught while leaving was an unexpected complication, so the golem tried to come up with an excuse. The panther-girl would surely be unhappy if she was met with absolute honesty this time around.

"I was just going out for a walk…"

"Right. And you snuck out so quietly because…"

"I didn't want to wake them up." Her words were starting to come out less confidently than intended, and the marble girl was sure she'd been caught.

"Come on, Penny, you're a terrible liar. Just tell me what's wrong." Her companion gave her a stern look, tired of beating around the bush. If there was something defining about the bow-wearer's personality, it was her direct and dry attitude. Trying to deceive her had been a mistake from the start. Penny sighed, feeling the burden of the truth.

"I'm going to meet that witch Ruby talked about."

"What for? Wait…" Blake grabbed her shoulders, and the stony girl let herself be pinned to the wall. "You're not going to…"

"I want her to make me human."

There was an expression of shock in the dark-haired shifter's face. Then it turned to fear, and finally to anger.

"Why? Why would you want to be human? You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are, Penny! Just because we're different doesn't mean we're something lesser."

"Look, I know you're proud of your heritage, Blake, and that's great. But what I am, it's just a burden."

"How can you say that? You can't just give up on who you are, on what makes you unique."

"Don't even go there. You were born a lycan, but I was made. It's not natural, and hopefully it can be unmade." There was regret in her tone, not from the thing she was about to do, but the decisions that had led her to this point, to the despair that deprived her of all other options.

"What would Ruby think about this?"

"Ruby is the exact reason why I'm doing it!" She barely managed to contain her roaring shout, trying not to disturb the slumbering girls inside.

The lycan released her and stumbled back a few steps. Her face didn't look as angry, but there was a hint of something else on it. A hint of _understanding_.

"You've seen the way she looks at me. Ever since… Adam… she's been avoiding me. She won't speak to me more than a few words, never looks me in the eyes, runs away whenever it's just the two of us in the room. She's afraid of me, Blake. Afraid of what I am, of what I can become. And, honestly, I don't blame her. I'm a monster. Fighting and killing is all I know how to do, it's what I've been created for. Who would want that in their life?"

It was a painful but undeniable truth. Ever since seeing Penny smash a skull into tiny little pieces, the huntress hadn't been able to act the same around her. She flinched at any form of contact, and was actively avoiding the thing that had once been her friend. She spent more time around the forest, safely far away from the stony girl, and returned home only at nightfall. There was no cheer in her voice when she was greeted upon arrival, no trace of the wide smile that warmed her ivory-skinned partner's heart, only furtive glances and mumbled words.

"Please, don't do this. You shouldn't need to change so others can like you. If they can't accept who you are, they're not worth it." Her motivational speech was cut short by an arm grabbing at the hem of her shirt, a menacing look completing the violent action.

"Don't you dare say that about her. You don't have the right…" Realizing what she was doing, the golem let go and faced the other with a disappointed expression, more in herself than anything else. "You see? I can't be trusted, I can't be around anyone until this is fixed."

"You're sure about this, aren't you?"

"Yes. I need to do it. And, please, don't tell them anything."

Blake nodded, her faced clearly in sorrow. She didn't understand, but it didn't matter as long as she respected her friend's wishes.

Penny walked away, leaving the panther-woman to her own despair. She knew it was the right thing to do, the only way she could recover the thing most precious to her, the broken relationship she had foolishly broken. Her mind had no doubts, no reserves or anxiety. She would be rid of the white clear marble that adorned her, or she would not return home ever again.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise when she reached the farthest hut. She had managed to inconspicuously pry its location from Yang, feigning concern towards her sister. The blonde hadn't even payed attention to the words she said, her consciousness clearly altered by the painkillers she was taking. Small and overlooking the nearby fields, this was the exact place she sought, and not a minute too late, as the coming of daylight removed any possibility of crossing the streets unnoticed.

She opened the door and walked inside. She didn't know what the table with the candles meant, or the curtain behind it, neither did she understand why the room was so small. She hadn't been introduced to proper protocol, and so she stood expectantly for her presence to be acknowledged. Not long after, she heard a voice come from the other side.

"You're new here."

"Yes, I'm-"

"Penny, I assume. Rose has told me all about you." The sound was demanding, but not authoritative. Its owner clearly wasn't in the mood for idle chat. "I'm guessing you want something."

"I want you to make me human."

"Oh? That's quite the request… Just be warned, it'll cost you greatly."

"I don't care, just do it." Her voice was unwavering. Whatever the price, she was ready to pay it if it meant returning Ruby to normal. And besides, after Adam, how much worse could it get?

"Oh my, aren't you eager?" There was a tinge of amusement coming from the sorceress, like she was enjoying the situation far too much, the delicious feeling of control over the stony figure's fate. "Well I just happened to come across some lycan ears, courtesy of your red-hooded friend. I could harness them to help transform you, but it's not enough."

 _She actually went through with it?_ No one in the household was aware that the archer had delivered on her promise to the witch, and it was quite an unexpected turn of events for the statue. Even after all the carnage, Ruby had decided to complete the task. That was… colder than she'd imagined the silver-eyed girl capable of. But, in the end, it didn't change the reason that had brought her to the small room she was in, so Penny decided to proceed with the conversation.

"What do you need?"

"Well, if you've been made alive by magic, I'll need to revert the original work. But complex enchantments like that usually have defenses, a way of ensuring no one but the creator can tamper with them." The woman behind the veil went on about the specifics of the spellcasting involved, but the golem, despite her attempts, couldn't keep up with the technicalities, something which the sorceress picked up on soon after.

"You didn't get any of that, did you?" The statue shook her head, before realizing there was no line of sight between them, but to her surprise the gesture seemed to be enough. There was a sigh on the other side, patience running thin. "I need something of your creator, your 'father' as you put it. Something dear to him, that would have left residual traces."

Penny thought for a second, before sprouting an idea inside her.

"Well, I'm sure there's something like that in his lab!"

A loud crash was heard from beyond the veil, the sound of something breaking, although she couldn't be sure what or why.

"The… what? There's a laboratory? Why am I just hearing about this?" Ruby had mentioned everything _that pertained to the statue_ , and that one detail had managed to slip by their conversation.

"I could search it for-"

"No! You will take me there, I need to see it for myself."

Penny was surprised by the urgency of those words, for some reason the sorceress was yearning to see the place she had just heard of.

And then, the curtain was swept aside, revealing she who lied behind it.

"What are you waiting for? Let's make you human. Lead the way."

* * *

 **Do you hate me yet after that cliffhanger? I would say I'm sorry, but that's a lie. I love teasing, it's so much fun.**

 **After the previous chapter was the largest yet, this is the shortest I've written since the very first Fried Circuits. But don't worry, chapter 9 is currently bigger than 8, and I still have so much to write in it. Might even cut it in half. Double the teasing hehehe.**

 **Meet me again next time when we solve that _horrible_ cliffhanger. Or do we? :P**


	9. At what cost

**9\. At what cost**

"This is it."

Penny waited for her guest to finish descending the ladder, before giving her the tour of the place. She hadn't been down there many times, but the memories she had of the laboratory would not soon be forgotten. It was still her father's workspace after all, and she missed him dearly.

"Fascinating… So much knowledge and power, just sitting here, right under my nose all this time. I had never felt this place, he must've had some serious protections." The woman quickly examined every inch and crevice, drinking in the overflowing source of energy around her.

"Yes, yes… this will do very nicely. And, oh! I haven't seen one of these in years, incredible!" The witch was lost in her thoughts, muttering out to none other than herself. But the soon-to-be-human golem wasn't feeling all that patient.

"So, do you have what you need to turn me?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that. Sure, shouldn't be too hard. Come here." A gesture invited her to join the magic-wielder, and she did so with no second thought. It was the moment she had been waiting for, nothing would stop her.

The sorceress dropped the containing the lycan ears, and started to draw a shape around her feet, a large circle in white chalk, then proceeding to add more and more intricate details to it. The marble sculpture felt the cold wind from inside the laboratory against her skin, a sensation she had never known before, lacking the necessary nerves for it.

There was a blinding flash of light, and then everything went quiet. The witch smiled knowingly, before getting up and going back to her analysis of the surrounding artifacts, no magic words, no chanting, potions or ointments. Penny felt outraged, the woman's promises coming up empty. _She did nothing!_

But when she reached her arm forward, beginning to form a complaint on her mouth, the corner of her eyes caught something odd. It was something… pink.

It took her a full minute to realize she was staring at her own fingers. Her own _flesh_ fingers. She stroked for her own face, reveling in the touch of real human skin, so soft and warm against her hand, almost ticklish. It had worked! She wasn't a statue anymore, she wasn't a monster. She was a girl, complete with clothing and all. Oh, she had clothing, her attire now unshackled from her body, a totally separate entity caressing the outlines of her body, swaying with every movement she made.

Her enthusiasm was so strong she could barely stay in place, jumping up and down, feeling the way her new muscles tensed and released. Oh, and a heartbeat! She could feel a fast thumping in her chest, the undeniable sign that she truly was alive. It was all so new and fantastic, she couldn't wait to face the world, find all the new experiences she had been missing out on. The taste of food, the many smells of the countryside, the touch of someone else's skin against hers…

Ruby. She couldn't wait to tell Ruby, show her friend that there was nothing more to fear. She was a normal girl, no more beast inside seeking blood. And she was going to get her friend back, the sweet and caring girl she had met on the clearing above, no matter what.

She started to pace towards the exit, but was interrupted by the voice of her current companion, who was no longer paying attention to the many books around.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to tell Ruby about this! It's amazing, you really did it! Thank you!" Her grin was impossible to contain, and she turned back to the ladder, impatient to get out of that place.

"Get back here." Her body stood completely still, ceasing to move against her wishes. To her shock, her torso flipped, and her legs carried her all the way to the witch, who had an amused smile on her lips.

"You didn't think it'd be so easy, did you? I told you there was a price to pay. Now stand there and keep guard while I scour through your creator's archives."

"How… how are you doing this?"

"Oh you'll love it. Turns out your father had built in a method of controlling you in case anything went wrong. I bet he never even used it because he _loved you so much_." The scorn in her tone was palpable. She was adoring every second of this new power dynamics. "And now that you allowed me to unlock it, I'm in control. Now be a good girl and protect me, in case any of your friends decide to show up."

Penny felt trapped inside her own body. The sorceress had kept her end of the bargain, but at what cost.

She was utterly helpless.

* * *

Yang stretched her arms, feeling the aching sensation of spending too much time on the same position. It was already well past noon, so she got up from bed, and gave her hair a quick brush to return it to the natural blonde mane she was so proud of. She hated having to hide it when she went out, but there weren't many other men with overflowing golden locks around. She looked back at her cot, and stifled a giggle, before walking out.

It was nice to be able to move without the constant sting into her ribcage, threatening to keep her from drawing breath. She had taken longer to recover than she'd wished, but now she felt strong again, capable.

Entering the wide kitchen, she saw Ruby pacing around the room aimlessly, mumbling to herself. She picked up a piece of fruit from the counter, and wondered what was troubling her sister. The silver-eyed girl didn't notice her presence, not even when she sat behind the table, within arm's reach of the stressed-out huntress.

"Rubes? Everything okay?"

The redhead stopped and finally acknowledged her sibling, sitting down in front of her. She sighed, trying to vent off the nerves wracking her head, before replying.

"It's… Penny."

"Aww, little sis is worried about her girlfriend. You're so adorable I could pinch you." Yang gestured two fingers to the archer's cheeks, trying to deliver on her threat.

Ruby dodged the attack, and shot her sister a stern look, clearly not in the mood for teasing. But again, she never was in the mood for the blonde's teasing, since she got so easily embarrassed. And there was something else, if only slightly. Was she… blushing?

"Ah, you didn't say she _wasn't_ your girlfriend." Leaning in closer, the brawler added in a whisper. "So, tell Momma Yang, have you two kissed yet?"

"N-" The red-hooded youngster began to deny vigorously, but a single mischievous memory struck her, forcing her mouth shut. She had kissed Penny, but that had been silly and striped of meaning, and so long ago. Yang picked up on the tell instantly.

"I can't believe it, you have! You must tell me EVERYTHING!"

Ruby shuffled in her seat, trying desperately to come up with a way out of the conversation. For an instant, her silver eyes flashed, no longer looking humiliated.

"All right, but only after you tell me everything about you and Blake."

"About… I don't know what you mean." The blonde froze, not expecting to be paid in kind on her gossip. Her sweet innocent sibling was more cunning than she appeared.

"Oh really? How about all the time she spends around you, checking on how you're feeling. Are you telling me The Great Seductress Yang hasn't picked up on it?"

"She's just been helping me recover, taking care of my injuries. You know, the ones she herself caused?"

"Yeah I heard her 'taking care of you' last night. Seriously, sis, gross. Our walls aren't exactly thick."

Yang's face went from light pink to bright red in a couple of seconds. She hadn't even considered the noise, and she certainly didn't consider being caught red-handed by her little sister. She waved her arms in front of her face, looking quite like an idiot.

"That's not… we didn't… Me and Blake…" Her pathetic attempts to explain the situation were interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared across the room.

"Talking about me?" Blake walked in, wearing only a long yellow shirt, and throwing out the window any way of denying the events of the prior night.

"Join us, Blake. Yang was just about to explain to me the specifics of your relationship." Ruby could barely help herself from giggling. The lycan had walked in at the perfect moment, and now the blonde's embarrassment was well past the limit. Yang was so stunned her mouth was hanging wide open, looking around the room without making a sound.

"Oh? Now that's something I want to hear."

Both girls' outbursts of laughter were interrupted by a desperate scream.

"PENNY!" They looked startled towards the yellow-haired woman who had yelled that name. "We were talking about Penny. You were worried about her." _Change the subject NOW!_

The chuckles stopped, tension returning to the table. The huntress stared down at the floor, renovating the troubled look she had donned before.

"She's been gone for hours, I can't find her anywhere. It's not like her to just disappear like that."

"You think something might've happened to her?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm worried…"

Yang nodded in comprehension. It was odd for the statue to be away for more than a few minutes. She was always inside the house, looking for something to occupy herself, knowing the outside could be dangerous to someone of her kin. Her absence was, as a matter of fact, strange.

Looking at the raven-haired woman besides her, the brawler noticed the absolute silence she was in. She knew more than she was letting on.

"Blake? You wanna say something?"

"I… Penny's upset, okay? She's upset that you…" She glared directly into Ruby's silver eyes "…have been avoiding her. She feels like the odd one out in this house."

The young archer seemed like she's been hit by a carriage, guilt and realization slicing through her expression.

"I know what she did was extreme, but she was just trying to protect you. You've been treating her like a monster."

"I guess you're right… It's just hard to look at her after what happened."

"I understand, Ruby, I was there too. But you can't keep pushing her away, she might do something… crazy. If you still care for her, you need to show it to her, and fast, _before it's too late._ " Yang didn't pick up on the ominous hints, neither did her sister. But they understood the message.

"Hear that, sis? Time for your great romantic gesture, you know, that part in the stories where the hero rides in to save her beloved!"

"You are seriously the most annoying sister one could have." Ruby failed at a disapproving look, too amused by her sibling's over-enthusiasm.

"And that's why you love me." The blonde crushed the youngster in an affectionate bear hug. "Now go, and get your girl back!"

"She's not _my girl_ , Yang!" Ruby pleaded, while beginning to walk to the door, the mission at hand clear in view. As she walked out, Yang decided she wasn't yet done with the payback for being cornered earlier.

"Not with that attitude!"

Alone with the lycan, the brawler turned slowly, and as tantalizingly as she could, to her raven-haired partner. She was surprised to find a glimmer of mischief in those deep golden eyes. She wasn't used to the playful side of the panther, so it was quite a distressing sight.

"So, The Great Seductress Yang, huh?"

Before she was able to answer, the archer barged in through the entrance, flushed and out of breath.

"Forgot my bow." She said, as a means of explanation.

"Why do you need your bow?" The huntress merely shrugged at the question.

"Just in case. Oh, and could you do something for me?"

* * *

Ruby stopped as she reached the clearing, the urgency of her search tamed by the sight of the tulip orchard where it all had begun. It looked just as colorful as she remembered, back when she hadn't met talking golems or shapeshifting creatures. When it was just her and her sister, getting by as they could. She wouldn't have gone back even if the option was available. All the trouble they had gone through had been intense, but she had also won friends, emotional connections that she wouldn't trade for anything. She took her time taking in the nostalgic sight of the clearing.

Her trained senses picked up on a faint noise, clueing her in that she had in fact gone to the right place. It was coming from downstairs, so she ran to the hole in the ground and quickly descended it. Inside, she saw something she certainly did not expect.

There was a girl standing near the desk, her back towards it. There was something familiar about her, the short curled hair, the summer dress. She looked like Penny, but that girl appeared to be human, made of flesh and bone. Yet the lingering feeling was unmistakable, and the red-hooded huntress was forced to check.

"Penny?"

The ginger girl reacted at the call, a smile that faded within a flash into a look of fear. But the signs didn't lie, it truly was the girl, no longer made of marble. Ruby marveled in silence at the transformation that had happened. The once white spotless skin was now a soft pink, the equally-colored hair turned bright orange, much like the tulips above. Her garments weren't rigid, but flew with the breeze, a grey dress with green highlights over a cream shirt, the stockings and shoes black of color. Her eyes were vivid and deep emerald. She was beautiful.

Entranced with her friend's new exterior, she completely forgot her fears about her. That sweet looking human girl could never hurt her, it was not the look of a monster. She also failed to notice the white woman behind her, and the words that followed.

"Rose's here? Ugh, you know what to do."

The bodyguard moved forward, ignoring the questions the archer threw her way,

"Penny, is that really you? What happened, how are you human?"

The girl stopped right in front of her, but didn't make any more moves. She was just standing there, looking guilt-ridden.

"I don't want to hurt you, Ruby, please leave. I asked her to turn me, but it was a mistake, she tricked me." The silver-eyed youngster couldn't make sense of the information she was receiving, and before she could muster a retort, the third voice was heard again.

"Why are you just standing there? Why aren't you attacking?" Ruby managed to catch a glimpse of the source of the sound, a white figure in the distance.

"You told me to protect you, not attack. She's not being a threat." Penny looked back, facing her new master defiantly.

"Fine, then attack, damn it!"

"I'm so sorry, my friend."

The former-sculpture raised her arms, something Ruby innocently mistook as the start of a reconciliating hug. Instead, she received a firm punch to the thorax.

It certainly didn't hurt too much, now that her hard stone arm had been replaced by muscles. Still, it caught the short-haired girl off-guard, throwing her off balance. The next hit was aimed at her legs, propelling her to the ground. She saw the strike coming but couldn't move fast enough to deflect it, so she dove with it, curling her fall into a roll to the side.

"What the hell, Penny! Why are you doing this?" She was shouting, unable to comprehend what was going on. She had thought there would be no more monster, but there was the other girl, closing in on her with malicious intent.

"I told you, she's making me do it!" There was truth in both her eyes and her voice, compelling the huntress to trust her. The ginger didn't want to fight, but she wasn't the one pulling the strings. Which meant the other woman was the real enemy, making the puppeteer Ruby's target. She would need to defeat the witch if she wanted to free Penny. It was Adam all over again, but this time she didn't have a marble beast at her side.

The huntress dodged another couple of punches, and ducked to avoid the fighter. She then leapt to try to close the distance between her and the sorceress. She didn't foresee that the guard would keep up, and now that her back was turned, she was very vulnerable.

A powerful kick to her feet made her airborne for an instant, then landing on her back. The brutal impact drove all the air out of her chest, and she stayed down, unable to move. It was then that the woman in white finally decided to turn around.

The witch had long ivory hair, tied neatly into a side ponytail, bangs in the front falling near her icy blue eyes. She wore a white dress, almost too white considering the dusty countryside they lived in, along with white boots that reached all the way to her knees. Her cleanliness was strange but highly enticing, a bastion of purity over the surrounding lands. She was gorgeous beyond anything Ruby had ever seen, and the scar that crossed her left cheek and above her eye only made it further so. She would've held her breath, if she still had any.

The magician walked over with a victorious smirk on her lips, never ceasing the cold gaze in her stare. She raised her right foot, and placed the heel of her shoe on top of the huntress' neck. The slight pressure wasn't meant to suffocate, just a display of who was in charge. Penny was standing still by her side, looking sorrowful but unable to intervene.

"Ruby Rose, you just had to be a thorn on my side, didn't you?"

"What can I say, roses do that." The silver-eyed girl tried her best not to be intimidated, but it was hard to remain unwavering when facing that shiveringly icy tone.

"How funny, you certainly learned something from that buffoon you call a sister." Leaning downwards, the ivory-haired woman managed to sound even colder in her next two words. "Weiss Schnee."

"What?"

"My name. Weiss Schnee. We've known each other for years and you never even asked. No one ever did. You all treat me like a shop, never a person. First my family, now my village, nobody cares about me, only my powers. 'Oh please give me this. Oh please make me that' No one ever wonders what I want. And you know what? I'm tired. Tired of being treated like just another tool in your arsenal. Tired of being left alone while everyone lives out their lives happily. All I wanted was someone who cared about me for more than what I can do, someone who could quell the loneliness. But it's too late now, I don't care anymore. Your friend brought me to this place, and I have so much knowledge and power at my grasp. No one will mistreat me again. You only care about my abilities, then you will all see exactly the extent of what I can do."

"I won't let you hurt anyone."

"Would it even bother you? They hate you after all. Would it give you not even a little bit of satisfaction to get some revenge?"

"Why would I be happy about people suffering? You're insane! I'm going to stop you!"

"Ever the naive idealist, I see. And how exactly do you plan to do that? What is it that you think you have that I don't? Belief in yourself, the kiss of true love, determination? Some other foolish fairy tale notion?"

Ruby started laughing, as if possessed by some insane devil.

"So? Spit it out, you dolt, what is it?"

There was a massive noise outside, like roaring thunder very close by. The red-hooded huntress looked the witch dead in the eyes with a confident smile, fire burning within.

"I have backup."

* * *

 **It was Weiss after all, as many of you predicted. I thought it would be pretty obvious once Blake was introduced that the last remaining character would be the missing team member, and was very surprised that some still thought it was Cinder. I considered switching to Glynda just to annoy everyone, but that would've been really crappy writing. It was a lot of fun to plan and write our little Schnee, and the _many_ scars she bears from her past.**

 **Also, I swear I didn't plan on having Bumblebee in this story. It just kinda happened. The bees like to sneak up in my fics without my consent, it had already sorta happened in the last one. What can I say, they make a simple and fun pair.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and as always feel free to comment. Next time we see each other again will be to conclude this tale.**


	10. Rose Petal

**I know I said this would be the last chapter, but well... you'll understand when you get there.  
**

* * *

 **10\. Rose Petal**

 _"Oh, and can you do something for me? I'm going to look for Penny in the clearing. If I'm not back within the hour, come too, in case she's in trouble."_

Everyone in the room looked up at the noises coming from outside the pit. The commotion reached its peak as Yang descended the ladder with an excited scream, like it was the most fun she'd ever had. Her eyes quickly scanned the place, locating the fallen sister and the aggressor. After a fiery glare, the witch took a stumbling step back in shock, releasing Ruby's throat.

"Yang, you're early." Ruby greeted her sibling, who was helping her stand up. She was glad the brawler had paid such heed to her words.

"And you're complaining? Blake told me what Penny was up to, I came as soon as I could." They switched focus to the flawlessly white-dressed woman who was now recuperating from the surprise. "Who's the princess?"

"The village witch, it's a long story, she wants to kill us... and everyone else."

"Well, this has been a heartwarming reunion, but surely you don't think two commoner girls can defeat me, right?" Weiss Schnee spoke at last, sneering at their pointless exchange.

As if eavesdropping for the cue, a large black panther appeared from the hole in the roof, landing on her feet. It growled at the enemy, clued in on the situation by her enhanced animal hearing. Yang couldn't resist a well-timed remark.

"How about now? Can we defeat you?"

"Is that… How? I thought you killed it!" The ivory sorceress was cussing in frustration, blood boiling inside her.

"Turns out there were two of them, and Blake here is friendly. Well, not to you." There was a soft roar from the bright white fangs of the beast, to illustrate the point. The lycan was surprisingly in tune with the blonde's speech, almost like a trained animal.

"Fine, it still won't be enough to stop me!" The witch readied herself in combat stance. Head up, shoulders back and her right foot forward, slow breathing to prepare herself for the oncoming storm.

"We'll see about that."

Blake was the first to attack, leaping from her ground position to Weiss. The magic-wielder side stepped the assault, and simply waved her hand in the air. A glowing white glyph appeared, cutting the lycan's trajectory halfway through. The black furry body crashed on the magic circle, which seemed to be hard as stone, making her drop to the floor. She dispelled of the shock of the impact, then proceeded to fight once more.

Ruby rolled outwards and retrieved the bow from her back. Yang waited for an opening in the struggle between the creature and the magician, before jumping in as well. But to her astonishment, Penny took the lead in front of her, and started to roll a punch.

"Penny, what are you doing?" Yang ducked the hit, not trying to fight back.

"She's being controlled by the witch! Try not to hurt her, please." Ruby shouted from the back, offering some explanation to her sister. It was very inconvenient to have the former-statue against them, but the huntress wanted to avoid any damage, hoping the spell would be broken when they defeated the sorceress. _If_ they defeated her.

"How about her hurting me?" The blonde let out between dodges, still pursued by the intense martial capabilities of the ginger.

"Try not to do that too."

Now completely aware of the limits, Yang led Penny slightly away from the rest, and the two engaged in a heated conflict. That left Ruby by herself, the only fighter lacking a sparring partner, conveniently so, as she thrived on distance rather than in proximity.

Pulling an arrow from the quiver, she pointed it at the woman in the white dress, who was distracted, evading the lycan and countering with glyphs both small and large. They seemed to work mostly with ice, some throwing shards against the enraged animal, others temporarily enveloping her if she struck them. It wasn't easy to point when there was a large black mass going berserk in the way of her shot, so Ruby breathed in and out to steady her hands. The last thing she would want was to hit her ally.

Blake was jumping up and down, forced to act defensively by the constant magical signs appearing underneath her feet. She was clearly at a disadvantage in the closed space of the laboratory, lacking places to move around, but her stamina was her greatest weapon. That much spellcasting would surely tire out the witch, and soon enough would come the moment to strike.

When their dance ceased for a moment, both fighters stopping to breathe, Ruby gave the enemy no quarter, unleashing the arrow she had trained against the string. It made a high pitch sound, cutting through the air between the archer and its target, but it never hit bullseye. Instead, the intended victim flicked her wrist at the last second, and the bolt shattered into countless icy fragments, scattering on the floor.

All other projectiles that followed took the same route, pointless efforts that did nothing to throw the magician off. In fact, the opponent seemed to be faring better, now that Blake also had to avoid stray shots. Nevertheless, it was bothersome and straining on her energy, so Weiss took action to stop it at once.

Stepping back, she waved both arms up above in a spherical motion, and a large glyph materialized between her and the lycan. Then she brought her hands down gracefully, and the grounded symbol erupted into a massive towering wall of ice, effectively cutting the panther off from everyone else. With the primary foe out of the picture, the spellcaster was now free to pick off the others one by one, and she began by pacing furiously towards the red-hooded huntress.

Yang and Penny were still busy with their duel, standing mostly on equal ground. The blonde packed a lot more punch, now that the other was no longer made of marble, but the ginger was a master fighter, albeit still getting used to the new weight distribution of her body. They were entangled in a standstill, none grabbing the advantage apart from a few loose strikes, and their struggle blinding them to the action happening on the other side of the room.

As the witch gained ground, Ruby became increasingly defensive, her main weapon useless at close range. She rolled to the side, always trying to get as much distance between them as possible. A frozen shard whistled above her head, just barely missing. One and then other, two more blades of ice were thrown her way, flanking her position in an attempt to cut off her escape.

The silver-eyed girl cartwheeled to the left, trying to avoid them both, but before she landed back on the dirt floor, there was a loud crack. Forgetting the sorceress, she mentally checked every body part for any kind of pain. There was nothing, no evident damage. Only then did she notice what the source of the noise was.

Still in her left hand, her bow was snapped, the wooden shaft broken in two asymmetrical pieces, held together only by the string. Her tool of work, her weapon, one of her most prized possessions, second only to her cape, was now nothing more than worthless splinters. Reluctantly, and with a quiet cry of regret, she released its remains from her grasp.

Ruby had only one means of attack left, and while the hunting bow called for long range, her sharp knife was best used in the closest of quarters. Unclasping it from her belt, she lunged forward at the magic-wielder, who swiftly avoided the blade and struck her elbow with a fist, causing a dulled pain in the youngster. Her attacks were fast and relentless, using the weapon's size and weight to deliver an unwavering assault that would no doubt eventually hit. Weiss was now the one defending, although with not too much effort, as evidenced by her capability to speak while dodging.

"I always had a soft spot for you, Rose, ever since you first walked into my hut. The peasants always want money or success, yet there you were, a crying little girl at my doorstep, simply asking to get her father back." The ivory woman spoke as if she was much older, but it was hard to tell the age of someone with magical aptitude, as they could disguise their true appearance with herbs and ointments. She could be 30 or 14 for all they knew.

Ruby remembered that day very well, and her attack faltered momentarily at its mention. She had just lost her mother, the woman who had always been her world. It had been hard, and unspeakably painful, but she had managed to work through her grief. And then suddenly her father was gone too, on some far off land with the army. He was supposed to return, but he didn't, and the girls never found out what had become of him. Knowing the rumors of a very powerful witch in the village, she had run to the cliffside shack with one request: to have her father home again.

"You didn't ask for personal gain or glory, you just didn't want to be lonely and hurting anymore. I could relate so much to you, but I couldn't help you, he was out of my reach." There was a hint of sadness in the white-haired woman's tone, like she was voicing something buried inside her for so long. "And then you grew, a pariah of society, with no one to love you but your sister, yet you were always so full of life. I envied you, that you could be happy despite all the pain and hatred, a simple and kind soul amidst the darkness."

"You can still stop this! Just stand down and you can come home with us, I promise! We can be friends!" Ruby shouted through her ragged breaths, pleading the opponent for a peaceful solution. If she was so lonely, the huntress could help, there had to be a way out of the conflict.

"And then we'll paint our nails and talk about cute boys? Oh please, Ruby, even you can't be that innocent." It was the first time the witch addressed her by the first name. "It's too late, for you and me both. You have a family, love and friendship, and people willing to fight and die for you. And I? I have power, I guess we'll see which one's greater."

Dismissing her hopes as if they were nothing more than petals in the wind, the sorceress punctuated the answer with a blast of force that sent the silver eyed girl tumbling through the air. Her back slammed against the ice wall, cracking it right in the center, but the archer did not notice the convenient damage. Her vision blurred from the impact, and pain shot through her entire body. On top of that, the barrier was so cold the slightest contact drained her of heat, threatening to burn her skin through the clothing.

On all fours, Ruby tried to get up but her arms were numb, and any effort was rewarded only with falling flat on her face yet again. The continued struggle, and the many stabs she had taken at the opponent, had been quite different from the usual means of attack she had trained for, and it had put her endurance to the test. She wouldn't last long without assistance, not against a woman who had such might in her combat abilities.

Surprisingly, the magician wasn't even paying attention to the fallen girl, instead starting to walk over to Yang and her puppet, which would surely became very bad for the blonde in no time. She was the first to fall.

The brawler parried a punch with her arm and took the opportunity to strike back at Penny. Before her clenched fist could connect, a blasp of ice came in, nailing her wrist onto the closest wall. Feeling stuck, she used her other hand to try and yank the limb from its prison, but to no avail. The ginger took the opportunity to hit her in the stomach, provoking a bloodcurdling shriek that filled the room.

In response there was a panicked roar, and the enraged black panther crashed the crumbling frost barrier, trying desperately to come to her friend's rescue. But she wasn't fast enough.

Yang clawed frantically, like a trapped animal feeling its end near. Penny grabbed her hand, and with the free one pummeled once at her head, knocking the girl unconscious.

The lycan grew even more berserk at the sight, lunging forward at the perpetrator. In her bloodlust, she made the grave mistake of ignoring Weiss, and the witch made sure she paid dearly for it. Ruby's eyes widened, realizing the impending blow, and she mustered all her strength to yell out a warning.

"BLAKE, LOOK OUT!"

The raven beast looked just in time to see the white flash approaching, but could barely avoid it. Instead of striking her square in the head, the sudden motion made it connect with the jaw, enveloping her neck. The ice collar slowly pressured her throat, and she shuddered wildly, trying to fight back, but, alas, it was too much, and she passed out.

The sorceress waved her hand, melting away the frost necklace, the body falling to the floor with a loud thump. She then walked over to the archer, who had managed to recuperate, and was standing on one knee. Her eyes were clouded in tears, and she had lost all will to fight. Seeing her friends defeated with such ease had crushed her spirit.

"I won't kill them, don't worry. Call it my final gift to you, one you'll be repaying for the rest of your life. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to leave you all alone again, after all you've been through. I will, however, destroy the village and everyone in it. But that won't be the end of it, oh no. I still have plans in store for you, Ruby." Her voice was a whisper that only the huntress could hear, and the witch was cupping her face while she spoke. What would've been an affectionate gesture in any other situation, was causing nothing short of pure dread in her heart.

Then, there was a strike at the back of her head, and Ruby lost consciousness.

* * *

Penny couldn't handle how helpless she felt, how incredibly trapped she was inside her own body. It was threatening to shatter her mind, being forced to knock out Yang, and then watch as her puppeteer did the same to both Blake and Ruby. She would go insane if it kept going, she desperately needed an act that was hers, brought on by her own will. But the spell was too strong, and she had no option but to follow her commands. What she would've given to be of marble again, both a force to be reckoned with, and free from the strings. So, she resorted to the last option available, and asked.

"Is she…"

"Dead? No." The answer was short and cold. The woman dressed in white was returning to her books, not even remotely bothered by the possibility of the opponents regaining their senses.

"Can I…"

"Sure, why not? Go ahead, say your goodbyes."

The former-statue ignored the ominous nature of the words, reveling in the sensation of being the master of her own fate. She ran over to her friend and rolled her belly up, before pressing a palm on her chest. There was a heartbeat, even if weak. At least the witch hadn't lied, Ruby was still alive. Penny fought back the tears, not wanting to mourn the silver-eyed warrior while she still breathed.

While handling the lifeless body, she noticed a glimmer of metal. As she was grabbing it, the freezing voice was heard again.

"Are you done there? I could use your help here."

She stood up, holding the object behind her back. It was too obvious she was hiding something, but she didn't want the magician knowing of the memento taken from the huntress. As expected, the ivory woman noticed as soon as she turned.

"What do you have there?"

"Nothing."

"You should know better than lying to me, Penny. Give it to me."

And then, it clicked inside her head. She had to obey the order, and for once she _wanted_ _to_. Her lips curled a smile, before she gestured her arm to the front.

"With pleasure."

A flash of silver flew between them, and Weiss didn't understand what it was until it was too late. She waved her arm to shatter it like she had done with the arrows, but there wasn't enough time. The small hunting knife lodged itself in the middle of her chest.

The blade broke into a thousand pieces, but the damage had been done. The witch felt life escape through the wound, and she desperately flicked and materialized glyphs all around her, but they all dissolved into pieces of white light.

"How…" She struggled to say, shocked by the betrayal of her own slave.

"Your wish is my command." Penny uttered scornfully, quite unlike herself. The misery she had seen and been coerced into causing put the words into her mouth. It was the end, she had won.

In one last faint attempt to survive, Weiss Schnee conjured a massive circle beneath her feet. The ginger girl didn't know what it was supposed to accomplish, but she instantly knew it had backfired.

The witch didn't scream in her last moments, but she sighed in defeat. She almost sounded disappointed that victory had eluded her. The magical glyph erupted into a colossal mass of ice, enveloping her in it.

And thus, where she had stood was now a thick frost obelisk, and the woman trapped inside it. Her eyes were closed, seemingly resting. The beautiful white figure was tainted only by a small drop of blood, frozen as well, a red rose petal sprouting from her chest.

Penny sunk to her knees, breathing heavily in relief. The fight had been long, but she had persevered. She was free. Her friends were safe. All was finally over.

* * *

 **Do you understand now? The conflict may be resolved, but there has been no closure. The chapter was already going long, so I decided to save the rest for an epilogue.**

 **The conversation between Weiss and Ruby, about the possibility of friendship, was added from scratch after seeing the last chapter's reviews, and I think it absolutely worked wonders. This is why I love reading your opinions, sometimes beautiful things are born from it. Technically you asked for a fluffy turn of events, but oh well, you get the point.**

 **Next time is really the end, I swear, and it'll come very soon because it's a short one.  
**


	11. Home

**Oh, you're here... I'm glad you came. Why don't you have a seat? I've been expecting you. It's been a long road, I know, but I hope you enjoyed walking it. This is our final stop, after all. So, please, join me one last time.**

* * *

 **11\. Home**

Ruby woke up, and despite still having her eyes closed, she knew she was in her own bed. She recognized the feel of the straw mattress under her, and the blanket above. As her body started to awake as well, so did the pain. She ached all over, and rustling in her cot only made it worse. Why did she hurt so much? The last thing she remembered was going to look for Penny in the clearing, and then…

 _The witch._

Her eyes shot wide and she jumped into a sitting position, but a gentle hand pressed against her chest and pushed her back looked to the side and saw a pair of deep green eyes staring back at her worriedly. Penny had been sitting down by the bedside, watching over her as she slept.

"You need to rest, Ruby. You shouldn't get up that fast."

Her ginger friend looked peaceful, yet tired, like she'd seen and done more than a thousand lifetimes ought to. Questions were flying wild inside the huntress' head, uncertainties about where she was and why.

"Weiss, we have to stop her! She's…"

"She's gone. It's over." The former-statue cut her off, soothing her fears with a kind smile on her lips. Ruby considered for a second, before inquiring again.

"Does that mean you're…"

"Free, yes. She can't control me anymore."

The archer closed her eyes, and mirrored her friend's smile. "I'm glad."

Then, she started to recall the events of the fight, the exchange of words between her and the sorceress, her attempts to come up with a peaceful solution, and the fall of her companions.

"How are Yang and Blake?"

"They're…" Penny cringed at the question, which only made her terror surface once more. "…they're going to be fine. It was pretty nasty, but they'll recover, they just need some time."

It was far from a reassuring answer, but Ruby was determined to accept it as a victory. They were all back and in one piece. She asked the girl for a retelling of what had transpired while she was out, and the ginger reluctantly complied. After she was finished, the dark-haired youngster reflected on all she had heard, before speaking.

"First my bow and then my knife, all in the same day. How am I going to hunt now?" Penny raised a brow in astonishment at her carefree remark, so the archer made sure to clear any confusions. "I'm joking, it's really great that we're all safe. Thank you."

The two girls fell into a comfortable silence, a strange aura of quietness inside the room. It seemed like an eternity since they'd last been alone, and away from all the drama and fighting. It was rewarding to be back to normal again, although normal wasn't quite descriptive of any part of their relationship thus far.

"I've been wondering, how did you know I would be in the laboratory?" The sitting girl broke the stillness, her own questions taking form now that the dark-haired girl's were satiated.

"Blake told me that you felt I was pushing you away. So I figured, since you weren't okay here, you would be going back to your home, in the forest. I guess I was wrong, and that's totally not what happened, but it all worked out in the end, right?" She made a foolish grin in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, and scratched the back of her head. As she did, her sleeve rode up, revealing a golden chain wrapped around her wrist, with a small pendant decorated with a small droplet of amber.

"You kept it." Her current roommate sounded surprised by the sight of the trinket, the little item that had been there since the very beginning of their story.

"Yeah, it reminds me of the day we met. Back when things were simpler, and we weren't fighting monster and witches."

Penny couldn't help but giggle at her friend's sweetness and honesty. That's what had drawn her to the huntress since the start, how genuine and simple she was. It was certainly a relief to know all the trouble they'd been through hadn't compromised it.

They were about to go quiet again, but the redhead decided she still had something to point out about the youngster's answers.

"You're wrong, by the way."

"Huh? What about?"

"That place, my father's study, that's the past. Here…" She glanced around at the surrounding walls, and then looked directly into the silver eyes in front of her, reaching her hand for Ruby's and interlacing their fingers. "…is where I belong. This is home."

* * *

 _ **Sigh.**_

 **It's both exciting and sad to be putting this story to rest. It's nearly been a month since I posted the first chapter, and I really enjoyed writing it.**

 **I seriously can't thank you all enough for all your love and support. Even if the fic wasn't that long, I doubt I would've made it till the end without all the reviews and follows, they're what kept me moving forward. As always, feel free to give your opinions, even more so now that it's over. What did you like best? What parts didn't work so well? What would you like to see in the sequel?**

 **Oops, did I say sequel?**

 **Well, yes, I'm planning a volume II. It wasn't my original intention, but after all the fun it was to play with these characters and the setting, I didn't feel like abandoning it. I have a few new characters I wanted to experiment with, I just need to hammer out some of the details, so I can't promise when it'll come out. But considering I've been so high on this that I haven't stopped writing ever since, maybe it won't be too long.**

 **If this fic gets a new "chapter" in the future, you'll know what it is. ;)**


	12. Volume II

_The girl walked in a brisk pace through the dimly lit swamp, despite the sinking terrain underneath her feet. Accumulated mud coated her boots all the way to her dark pants. The red cape over her shoulders was torn and scratched at the bottom, in serious need of a visit to the seamstress. Not that she cared, the cloak had once been her most valued possession, but her priorities had been forced away from the frivolities of clothing. Her face was resting in a half-frown, no smiles or giggles in her expression those days._

 **To Marble We Return.**

 **Ruby is back, and hunting again. First chapter out now!**

s/11973107/1/To-Marble-We-Return


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